Smmenen, playing Brown Paper Bag beats AaronAtog playing Forbiddian 2-1.

Note for this report: this report lacks certain details which may reveal sbing choices.

These games were typical of this sort of matchup and were, in some fashion, luck based.

All three games were extremely lopsided from the beginning and demonstrated no feats of skill or magical prowess becuase the margin of success was so large.

I had thought going into this matchup that I would have significant advantage having nearly 1.5 as much countermagic as Aaron as well as no dead cards which Aaron may have had.

As the match began I won the die roll and chose to draw based up on my knowledge that Aaron did not play all five moxen, so that the threat of a first turn phid was diminished.

First Game:

I did the unthinkable: I kept a hand with one land and no artifact mana. My reasoning was tenuous but it went something like this: Since I had already decided to draw, I would have two turns to draw an island to get me to two lands. Since Aaron's deck and mine will come down to a win based upon the person who wins the counterwars, and since my hand was packed with countermagic and one land, and if I mulliganed he would have something of a tempo advantage without the draw one less drawback. The other possiblity that was a threat would be if he got a first turn library, but I reasoned that that is almost always game anyway so it was less than totally reasonable to justify a mulligan on that threat.

Therefore I kept a one land hand with a force of will in hand too.

Aaron laid an island, I laid on island and didnt draw a land. I was worried here. He goes and lays an island. My turn and I draw an island. His turn: he lays an island and plays an ophidian which I drain and he misdirects which I Force, which he forces which I misdirect. My turn: I draw a mox emerald for which I'm pleased: I tap an island and use the drained ophidian mana to play a morph. Then I have mana open for either my prohibit or my mana leak. I mooched this ophidian into a win.

Second Game:

He chooses to play. He first turn is an island, and he plays ancestral on my first turn upkeep. Luckily for him I don't have a misdirection. I lay a land tap for a Sol Ring. His turn: He lays his sapphire and an island and plays an ophidian. My Turn: Now I was facing a deliemma. I figured that he would have a force of will in hand or a misdirection, so I have the option of playing one of my ophidians but I would have no way of supporting if it got countered. I should have played it anyway, but I didn't. I reasoned that one turn would probably not make a difference and would be able to back it up with at least one coutnerspell. That reasoning was totally flawed because he would be untapped. My strategy failed horribly and I was evetually utterly destroyed.

Game Three:

I chose to draw again. It paid off. I opened with two ophidians in my hand even though I sided one out for a special card I was going to use against him. My first turn was : Island, Mox Ruby, Sol Ring, Ophidian. That was pretty much that even though he cast a second turn powder keg. I out drew him for several turns and when he blew the keg I played more ophidians and coutnered all of his kegs and disks amassing a huge card advantage which I used to win.

At the point that I had two ophidians in play and a morph with a full hand of cards, the lagging got so bad that apprentice disconnected us. When we reconnected Aaron essentially just conceded becuase there was no point in playing the game out. I ended up with a thwart, Misdirection, Force of will, coutnerspell, prohibit, and a few other good cards in hand as well as a sb tech cards against him.

I think he has some interesting sideboard choices and a strong deck. I have no doubt that I will I was probably one of his worst matchups and that I'm sure his deck will do well into this tournament.

Good Luck Aaron.

Stephen Menendian