Haven Comics

1st Round vs UW Mirrormatch2nd Round vs UB Control3rd Round vs Metal Red (Kuldotha Phoenix)4th Round vs Soul Sister

Also in the FNM were BR Vamps, RUG, Kuldotha Goblins, Elves, and Infect.

Sure, there were only 12 players in this tournament, but at least half excluding myself are 1700-1800 and up players, so the competition is still tough depsite the small size. We normally don't get many 'non-regulars' because of the much larger card shop about twenty miles away in the large city of Huntsville, Alabama.

Round 1 vs BG Piston Sledge combo 2-0

This match was fairly easy, he got manascrewed the first game and I pulled off a turn 4 or 5 win against him game 2.

Round 2 vs Elfdrazi 2-0

This was against one of my best friends, but I still showed no mercy. A turn 2 Lightning Bolt to his Archdruid all but won me both games, especially after first striking out a few of his creatures.

Round 3 vs Battlecry Goblins 2-1

This match provided me with my only game loss of the night, and was by far the toughest and most interesting matchup for me since it was essentiallya mirror match. Turn 1 Spikeshot Elder drew out an immediate Lightning Bolt, and my turn 2 Plated Geopede got in some damage and blocks before dropping a Goblin Guide. He used a Kuldotha Rebirth on a Signal pest, but a lone Pyroclasm I was running mainboard this tournament took care of the tokens after he burned my creatures. He then dropped a Goblin Chieftain and swung for 2, which I had to take. An Oracle of Mul Daya and a later Plated Geopede ended up allowing me to ride game 1 to victory.

Game 2 - I had to throw away a hand with THREE Goblin Guides :( my single land was a Verdant Catacombs, so no red mana meant that was a throw away hand. Mulled to 6 and kept a hand with 3 land, a Golbin Guide, Spikeshot Elder and something else that obviously wasn't worth remembering. Turn one Spikeshot Elder for him, Turn one Guide for me. I swing for 2 and pass. He Teetering Peaks his elder, swings three, and bolts my guide. I draw a Lotus Cobra and decide to run my Spikeshot Elder out there. He drops a third land and uses his Elder to kill mine, and swings for one. I drop Lotus Cobra, a fetch, and a Plated Geopede and pass. He drops something like a Memnite and a Goblin Chieftain, uses Kuldotha Rebirth on his Memnite, and swings for all, which I decide I need to take. My draw is a flop and I concede.

Game 3 - I start, play a Scalding Tarn, get a Mountain, and pass. He plays a Mountain and a Signal Pest and passes. I drop a Forest and cast Plated Geopede and pass. He plays a Mountain and plays Goblin Wardriver and passes. I drop a Verdant Catacombs, swing for 3 and play a second Plated Geopede and pass, 20-17. He plays a Mountain, casts Goblin Cheiftain, Rebirths his Pest and swings all out. I sac my Catacombs (19-17) to grab a forest and Landfall my untapped Geopede, blocking his Goblin Cheiftain. I take 12, 7-17. He is completely tapped out, lands and creatures at this point. I drop a Verdant Catacombs, fetch a Forest, cast Harrow to get two more land for 4 Landfall triggers that turn, and swing with my 2 9/9 Geopedes, ending the match.

Round 4, Final Round vs RUG 2-0

Game 1 was won in a matter of turns through some good topdecks on my part and the killing the his first Lotus Cobra.

Game 2 was much trickier, and this was actually my longest game of the night, and probably the toughest single game. Late in the the game he has an Inferno Titan and is killing off my creautres, but I finally trick him into blocking a Geopede while I have Harrow and a fetch land out, killing his Titan. He plays a Jace and Brainstorms, obviously digging for an answer to my geopede and passes. I drop an land and kill his Jace, which he seems fine with. He activates a Raging Ravine and hits me for four. I Play a Teetering Peaks and hit him for five, taking him to 3. He hits me for 5 next turn with the Ravine and plays another Jace and bounces my Geopede. I draw, drop the Geopede and pass, having nothing better to do. He bounces again, and hits me for 6, putting me at 4 and him at 3. I draw, and lo and behold it is the golden card of the night, Lightning Bolt. With 6 mana open at this point, I'm only worried if he has 2 mana leaks in his hand, so I cast it, and he scoops upon seeing it. His next card it turns out was also a bolt, which he could have used to kill my geopede earlier and brainstorm with his jace for more outs.

It was a great tournament though, and I am satisfied with the way my deck performed.

1st Round vs Red Burn 2-0

This was against my friend who ran the Elfdrazi deck the week before, and I still showed no mercy easily taking him down after exhausting his burn spells and narrowly surviving Game 2 because at any point he could have drawn a burn spell and killed me, but he went 3 turns without drawing one which provided me ample opportunity to clench the victory.

2nd Round vs GB Artifacts 2-0

This was previously the Piston Sledge combo I played last week, but he apparently modified it and made it a bit better (probably taking out the Piston Sledges and combo pieces) and had in some larger threats. Fortunately, my experience won me this match on game 2 when I swung in with my Lotus Cobra, allowing him to block with his Steel Hellkite, and then bolting it in order to ride my 1 Plated Geopede to victory from there.

3rd Round vs UB Control 1-2

This was my only match loss thankfully, and he came in first so this enabled me to easily take second. The games were all very close. Ultimately, the two games he won, a Grave Titan followed by a Wurmcoil both games did me in. He wasn't using them to attack as so much as preventing me from attacking. He killed me with Creeping Tar Pits. A few turns before my death, He simply had a Wurmcoil and 2 Zombie tokens from a deceased Grave Titan while I had a Spikeshot Elder equipped with Adventuring Gear and an Inferno Titan. He has 0 cards in hand, and a lucky topdeck of Go for the Throat to kill my Titan the turn after I cast it finished me and broke my spirit. I'd say the odds were against me in the matchup, as my deck is precisely what UB preys on, but I put up a fight worth mentioning. Wednesday I am playing him in a rematch to see if I can do any better, and to get experience against that archetype.

4th Round vs UR Counterburn 2-1

I lost the first game fairly quickly, but my insight on what was going to be in the meta that night told me some quick changes I needed to do to my sideboard beforehand which helped in my two opposing Red matches. Leylines of Vitality and Obstinate Baloth were more than enough to propel myself out of reach in games 2 and 3, and my Bolts and Elders took care of his pesky Kiln Fiends.I was once again satisfied with the deck's performance. My performance was less than stellar as I mad bad decisions game after game even though ultimately it didn't matter too much. I believe my match vs the UB Control was when I was focused the most, and I don't think I made any mistakes that match.

I plan to continue piloting this deck until I know it inside and out, so continue watching for tournament results!