Well, here we go, i was planning on making this much longer and wittier (sort of like the last NG tourney report I never posted) but well, things happened and this is going to be brief and to the point (I hope).
One note: this entire 10 hr day of magic playing was fuled on one bagel at about 8am.
The greater portion of Team Scrub was the first to arrive at NG at about 10:15. I was joined by my younger brother and my good friend Carlo. This was to be Carlo's first real T1 tourney, but he is no newbie to this game, and proved himself a worthy competitor.
I played around with my deck a bit before the tourney, and was at one point considering playing a R/G blue hate deck (similar to FUB) but at the end I decided the better choice would to go stompy. The sideboard is kind of weird, but I wanted to ensure my victory should A Mono-U player be unluky enough to find themseves as my opponent. In hindsight, this was probably a poor decision, as I saw only one Mono-U deck (guess who...) and my anti-blue took up spots that could have been better anti-keeper measures, but, oh well.
Here's the deck and a quick explanation/summary:
Rouge Stompy
4 Quirion Rangers
4 Skyshroud Elite
4 Kird Ape
3 River Boa
3 Rushwood Legate
2 Hidden Herd
3 Vine Dryad
4 Rancor
3 Briar Shield
4 Giant Growth
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Black Vise
3 Null Rod
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Land Grant
4 Taiga
6 Forest
Sideboard:
4 Red Elemental Blast
3 Mtenda Lion
3 Sandstorm
3 Hull Breach
1 Choke
1 Multani's Presence
Null Rods are an excellent addition and proved their worth on a few occasions. 3 MD seems just about right, as 2 is not enough, and 4 seems like just too many, as they are useless in multiples.
Black vise and Quirions were MVP's, Rangers shutting down LD and Black Vise almost singelhandedly winning me a game (and brought me really close to winning another)
Maindeck legates were a good choice for this tourney, and Mtendas in the side could always come in against opponents like sligh or Mono-B.
Sandstorm was added soley as a anti-Sligh weapon, but it was not tested on this day.
Choke and Multani's Presence were sort of lying around so I decided to throw them in rather last second...they probably will not go back in again.
Now, for the actual report:
Round 1 - Mike P. (Good ol' 5c Control)
This was indeed an interesting match, and I did repectably well. In worrying about Mono-U I had not fully explored the keepr matchup, and that became painfully apparent here and later.
Game 1 I get off to a decent start, with a Ranger and Elite out 1st turn. He manages to Mind Twist my remaining hand away and get Morph out really early (maybe 4th turn?) but taps out to do so. I topdeck Bolt. But I do not smile yet. I bolt Morph...and there is no reply. Mow I smile...not to malign Mike's play...as he took a calculated risk, but I felt it was a small psychological victory for me...anyway, it becomes ireelevant as I can't recover in time for hime to do a sick Yawg Win..I mean Will, bringing back my good friend Morph from his untimely demise, and cats Ancestral a few dozen times (not really, but it always seems that way to me)
Game 2: This one I get a good hand, and start the beatdown early, and get a 3rd turn vise and about 4th turn Null Rod, leaving him with Cities as only source of mana. He goes down to 1, as I have a 6 power Trample creature ready to go in for the kill...then my Double Rancored Legate finds that he cannot swim, as Moat come down on the table. I am disheartened, but not crushed, as Vise is on the table. He has 3 cards in hand, an two cities as his only mana source...so I shold probably pull this one out, right? Wrong. He pulls only land for 3 turns then casts tutors and some card drawing, skillfully remaining under 4 cards, until Zuran Orb shows up...followed by Abyss, followed by Morph...followed by my concession...
I appreciated this match though, as Mike is one of the most solid and diligent players I have met, and I was glad to make a small run for it, even if in the end, he had to prove that at NG, keeper owns j00.
A lesson I would learn many times today.
Round 2:
Matt (Yep, another Keeper)
For some reason I feel the need for a bell souding here...(Clang!)
One question...where does the name Keeper come from?
Stay on topic dammit...
Game 1:
I get a golden hand with first turn Rancored Dryad and Vise. Matt balances early, but Vise getes him down low enough that my elves kill him quickly.
Game 2:
Now that I've had a chance to demostrate what a broken Stompy hand is like, Matt shows me that it is nothing compared to the power of the Dark Side (read Keeper's broken hand). His first act of the game is to cast an Abyss. My first act of the game is to cry. I however, continue, hoping to draw some burn or even enough creatures to get a few points of damage in. But so, of course not...i instead go on the draw every stinkin' land in the deck! I wished I had a Verdant force, casue then Matt would be sooo dead.
Anyway, onward we go... Game 3:
I thought I was safe from mana screw this game, after what happened last time, but no. He playes well, I deal some damage, but ultimately he gets Moat, COP:Red, and in response to his FoF, I regenerate my River Boa about six times and concede.
I talk about my deck a bit, mentionng my thoughts on including Wheel, to which Matt said, why not Sylvan? (as should be expected) And I rather liked the idea too, and will be testing that out. He also suggested Emerald Charm over Hull Breach, as Breach can be Hydroblsted. Such never came in to play of course, because I NEVER drew the silly things...
Round 3:
Evan Rouge (yup, my little bro) with Control slanted Mono-B Nether Void (very similar to Matt's Null and Void)
(clang!)
Oh ye gods of Matchups, why hast thou pitted me against my only brother?
Oh well, at least I know I can beat him.
Game one is quick and fairly unremarkable, as I empy my hand before he can do so for me.
Game two sees him pull early Contagion and Dystopia, and from there Hyppie under Void serves as sufficient beats (if only I could see all 10 land like against Matt..)
Game three I get Null Rod before he gets Keg, and while tight, my double rancored and contagioned Vine Dryad pulls through in the end.
Round 4: The Mailman on BD, playing R/W/B Nether Void
This guy was a lot of fun to play, and I enjoyed this game a lot. His deck reminded me of the old school three color LD decks, and I talked with him afterward about colors in Nether Void and stuff. He admitted that his build was stronger back where he played (CT?) than in the higher powered and keeper saturated NG.
Game 1:
I get out 2 Apes and 2 Elites by 2nd or 3rd turn, and I ride them to victory.
Game 2:
Quirion comes out early, but his Engineering Plagues me and my elves, and hyppie proves my undoing.
Game 3:
Quirions come out early again and stay there this time, negating his LD. Null Rod comes out, stopping Keg, I bolt a couple of Hyppies, and I manage to pull out the victory.
I am now 2-2, and have a possibility at making the top 8 with a win.
Round 5: Eric W. with you guessed it, Keeper
(clang!)
My firend had told me this guy was a bit strict on the rules, as he had called Devin on tapping mana he was counting, so I should have been on my toes just from that, but for some reason instead of thinking "hey, if I win, I can make top 8", there is a nagging thought in my mind: "You really need to get something to eat; the quicker you lose the quicker we can leave." Or was that my little brother taking to me? I don't know. Anyway, I tried to make the most of this game.
Eric proved to be an excellent and skillful opponent, and I apologize if my performance was not at it's finest.
Game 1:
I get early River Boa, and Rancor. He gets 3rd turn Morph with Powder Keg sitting at 1. I could race him, but instead I do something really stupid and tap out to GG the Boa. Next turn Keg goes to 2, kills my Boa, and after about 1 turn, I concede.
Game 2:
I don't really remember much of this one, just that Eric quickly got the upper hand, and I conceded before letting his eot FoF resolve. eotfofyl...
So, i finished as a Kird Ape, 2-3, which is respectable (for a Scrub like me anyway)
We Aggro players made our presence felt though, as Legend Blue fell short of the Top 8, which I'm sure made the Keeper players happy...and this tourney has dead set me to the fact that Mono-U isn't half the threat this board makes it out to be. As I said before, Keeper owns j00.
As for my compatriots, Devin (as noted in his report) finished 4th, while my brother also finished 2-3, and Carlo, playing a G/W Parfait very simlar to Cooberp's, went 1-3 with a bye, though he told me all of his matches were very close save two...one where his opponent got a first turn Morphling with backup, and another broken hand after that, and his first match against Negator, which he told me was not close at all, as Negator was forced to concede quite quickly both games.
I was dissapointed that Cooberp coiuldn't stick araound.. and hope all is well with your teeth...
Overall, I had a great time, much better than at the Grinder, and it was refreshing to meet a whole bunch of decently nice people playing...and I must say it was the most fun I've had at a Magic tournament in some time. (Though it's not like I play tourneys that often...I am the ringleader of Team Scrub after all)
It was a lot of fun to come out to NG, and while college time is upon us, and Team Scrub must fade into the woodwork for now, we will be reuinited once again, next summer...
