Played at SCGCON Legacy Classic 6/10/2018, 7 rounds of swiss with cut to top 8, 6-1-2 finish (4th place) in a field of 92, Czech Pile 0-0-1, Belcher 1-0-1, Czech Pile 2-0-1, Czech Pile 3-0-1, Grixis Delver 4-0-1, Grixis Delver 5-0-1, Monored Prison (ID) 5-0-2, (Quarterfinals) Grixis Delver 6-0-2, (Semifinals) Grixis Delver 6-1-2
TOURNAMENT REPORT:
Round 1 - Czech Pile
I lost the die roll (never lucky), open with gemstone caverns (always lucky), and proceed to exile a tropical island (not good at magic) which leaves me with forest and gemstone caverns as my 2 lands to start. Brainstorm doesn't find me a source to cast baleful strix. I decay his DRS and then get my hand ripped by hymn then snapcaster hymn because I exiled the tropical island and couldn't cast all the strixes I drew.
SB In: Needle (for JTMS), Toxic, Liliana, Surgical; sometimes add fluster/brutality/2nd needle
SB Out: Tidespout, Emrakul, 2 Fow; sometimes take out all Fow and both shardless if adding fluster
Game 2 is a grind that I think I'm going to lose. He has a board of liliana last hope, 5/6 goyf, leovold, DRS, and strix to my food chain + scourge + 1 griffin. I cannot pressure liliana at all which is ticking up to my doom (on scourge), and I cannot brainstorm. I fall from 17 to 12 because of goyf. And then I topdeck Toxic Deluge. I exile my griffin, cast Toxic to wipe his board and go to 6, then replay my exiled dudes. Game won.
Game 3 starts with a mull to 6. Scry spellseeker to the top, which later finds me manipulate fate to undo the mull. It is another grindy game where we go to turns, where traverse gets hostage taker to take DRS for a 2 deathrite swing. I present lethal with DRS and griffin to his JTMS and hand of 3 cards. I ask for concession, he refuses, says he has removal plus jace but puts his hand into library, so who knows? It is round 1 and he has every right to take the draw; plus the draw bracket favors me anyway.
0-0-1
Round 2 - Belcher
So I get paired up, so much for draw bracket, right? It's Belcher! His game 1 hand is t1 tons of goblins despite my Force of Will to stop mana chain. I lose.
SB In: 13 Cards (everything but cage and liliana)
SB Out: 3 Decay, Cut, 4 Chain, Emrakul, Tidespout, 2 Shardless, Forest on Draw/Gemstone on Play
Game 2 I mull to 5 and have Fluster, Fow, Blue Card, Needle, Swamp. Scry a Delta to the top. I Start with needle on belcher and pass, praying for a not goblins kill through force. He doesn't go off. I get fluster up now and eventually find a win con to kill.
Game 3 he goes for a t1 kill. I force his mana to strand him with 2 cards in hand. I follow up with a premature thoughtseize out of curiosity, seeing burning wish and belcher, so I take wish. I eventually draw needle, plague, and toxic to cover all bases, with another fluster/force too! Can't complain about the luck.
1-0-1
Round 3 - Czech Pile
Another match up. Well I might not get to grind versus Czech Pile all day but I'll gladly take the improved tiebreakers. Turns out it was Czech Pile anyway.
I don't remember much from this match, other than me winning games 1 and 3 due to being able to do the food chain grind thing. Game 2 I almost beat a JTMS on an empty board, but alas it was not meant to be. (SB similar to prior).
2-0-1
Round 4 - Czech Pile
Now in the draw bracket, it is another Czech Pile. He is a gracious opponent and we have some grindy but fun and swingy games. I win game 1 on the power of manipulate fate plus deathrite shaman.
Game 2 I felt so far ahead due to my board state of good cards, being able to again traverse for hostage taker to go for a 2 deathrite swing. But he is able to czech pile grind me out of DRS and present his own DRS for lethal. I dealt with 1 goyf but the 2nd one was too big.
Game 3 started with only 10 minutes left, so I boarded a tidespout back in for a combo chance. We play fast, I go on the beats and present both DRS and griffin in turns to be 1 turn of short of lethal (2 if he forces one). He has force + snapcaster (no removal or draw spells in GY) when I cast those cards and he chose to not force after some decisions. I cannot kill him but ask for concession due to lethal board. He agrees, as a 2nd draw for both of us makes the road much tougher.
3-0-1
Round 5 - Grixis Delver
Another draw bracket opponent with underground seas... this time Grixis Delver. I am firmly in control all 3 games, as I am able to kill off threats and resolve manipulate fate, playing around daze and all the delver-y things. Game 2 he steals back because of a topdecked bolt when I had lethal on following turn. Game 3 he has little pressure and concedes to my 4th land drop after resolving manipulate fate. Traverse for tombstalker was excellent in this matchup.
SB In: 2 Surgical, 2 Brutality, Toxic, Plague, Liliana
SB Out: Emrakul, Tidespout, Spellseeker, Hostage, Chain, 2 Shardless
4-0-1
Round 6 - Grixis Delver
We do the math. Because of all the draws that happened, we now have a double win and in. We both know what we are on based on having sat next to each other. Despite losing the die roll, I end up winning both games on the draw. Same thing as prior matchup in playing carefully to not get delver'd. Win with close margins, though only one game would've been stolen with a top deck bolt.
5-0-1
Round 7 - (Monored Prison, didn't know until top 8)
Draw to lock top8 at likely 2nd-5th seed! (It was 3rd seed)
5-0-2
Quarterfinals - Grixis Delver
High seed means I'm on the play, yay! I deal with all the threats, don't let the deck do delver-y things. Start casting phantom monsters each turn to race TNN, which it does win.
Game 2 on the draw, I am lucky! Open Gemstone Caverns and pitch a land with plenty more in hand. I answer turn 1 delver with my turn 1 decay. Turn 2 delver meets the same fate. I am able to brutality a young pyro, but not after brainstorm makes a token. I get a strix down but won't trade it off for the token. That token gets in for 4 turns as we rebuild our hands, putting me to 14. I answer TNN with traverse for tombstalker. Race won. DRS and ground threat ends it even faster.
6-0-2
Semifinals - Grixis Delver (Eventual Champion)
I am on the play in both games, but lightning bolt decides the race both times. Fun matches. It's only a matter of time until delver deck finally does delver-y things to me.
However, game 2 does present a opportunity that I shied away from that may have caused me the game. I am facing a delver and DRS with slight pressure due to my blockers. I have a toxic deluge that my opponent knows about from a prior probe. By the time I got the mana to cast it, my opponent had already brainstorm'd and ponder'd multiple times. My hand is force of will and toxic deluge. Only 4 lands in play. I figured Daze was boarded out, but I had to play around FoW and spell pierce. I decide to wait until another blue card as the pressure was not high. He rips a therapy to take my Deluge and I die to his eventual removal on my blockers. Casting Deluge would've resolved, but my board was poor enough that had it been countered I lose. I'm not sure what the right play was here, perhaps I was baited by my own FoW (drew 3 straight non-blue, non-land cards as land allows me to cover spell pierce).
6-1-2 (Final Standing: 4th)
