Ready to Play Games

At my local FNM standard tournament I placed #2 among 14 players with my G/W Token Swarm deck.

Match #1 vs U/W Clawbade (2-0)- Game 1. My opponent had Jace-the-mind-scupltor, Gideon Jura , 2x Swordforge-mystic, mortar-pod, and sword-of-feast. On my side of the board I have a bunch of soldier tokens that I got from conqueror's-plege and Elspeth Tirel and a hero-of-blade which were all forced to attack Gideon Jura on my turn. Gideon Jura of course gets demolished. I crank her loyalty up to (6). His turn he makes of the mistake of not bouncing the hero-of-blade with jace-the-mind-scupltor and does fails to deal with Elspeth Tirel . Next turn I attack with everything. Afterwards I use elspeth-tire's ultimate and clear the board. He proceeds to scoop.- Game 2. I board in 2x Viridian Corrupter and take out 2x Journey to Nowhere . I'm in trouble this time. He equips sword-of-mind-and-body and Sword of Feast and Famine on a Squadron Hawk and hits me for 4 turns. My deck is looking pretty thin and a lot of good cards are in the graveyard. Finally towards the end I have about 12x soldier tokens, 2x plant tokens, and 2x hero-blade. Of course he doesn't have enough bodies to block with so I swing for the game and match.- Post Match. Even though I did not even cast beastmaster ascension in either game I still managed to win. I thought I would have to lost to U/W Caw-Blade. After the match was finished I asked him if he had Ratchet Bomb or [[day-of-jugdement] is either mainboard or sideboard. He replied with a regretful "NO".

Match #2 vs B/R Vampires (2-0)- Game 1. I won relatively easy. He played played a some vampires which I took care of with journey-nowhere. He drew very few burn spells. My board was full with Birds of Paradise , Joraga Treespeaker and 6x thopter tokens created from Thopter Assembly the previous turn. I laid down Beastmaster Ascension . Game Over.
- Game 2. Of course I sideboard in 3x Celestial Purge and take out 3x Journey to Nowhere It plays out pretty much the same way except he draws a little more burn but nothing too phenominal. I out race him and lay down another Beastmaster Ascension .- Post match. I thought for sure I was going to lose against him. Right before the tourney started, I was playtesting with someone that was running the B/R Vampires. He crushed me the majority of the games. During the match I drew pretty good hands and always had plenty of mana to cast anything I wanted. I was able to overrace him both games with ease.

Match #3 vs Mono-Green Elves (1-2)- Game 1. This a fairly slow game at first. He lays down a couple of elves including ezur-renegade-leader and I lay down my mana producers, Birds of Paradise and Joraga Treespeaker . Then I lay down [thopter-assembly]]. His turn he attacks me with a few guys and I take the damage. Next turn my 5x thopter tokens come into play. Next turn I lay down Beastmaster Ascension and that's game because he has no way to deal with fliers at this point.
- Game 2. I get pounded on by elves enchanted by Leyline of Vitality and Eldrazi Monument beefed up with ezuri and then becoming untapped with copper-horn-scout.- Game 3. I get completely mana-screwed. I only draw 2x land the entire game. I think I might of had a joraga-treepspeakers on the board. I lose again.- Post Match. I thought this would have been one of my easier match-ups but it turned out to be the opposite. Theoritically with my deck I should be able to outrace mono-green elves most of the time. Getting mana-screwed is part of the magic world. It happens to everyone at some point and on more than several occasions.

Top 8Match #4 vs another B/R Vampires (2-0) Game 1. I win pretty easily. He draws two mana the whole game. The creatures he does lay down I just end up journeying them. I cast Conqueror's Pledge . Next turn I cast Beastmaster Ascension and swing with the 6x soldier tokens, birds, and treespeaker. Game OverGame 2. Automatically I board in 3x purges and take out 3x journeys. I win pretty easily again. This time he draws a good amount of land but not too many threats. I swing for lethal once again with tokens and beastmaster.

Top 4Match #5 vs Mono-red goblins (2-1)-Game 1. He crushes me pretty good. He has too many creatures on the board and a lot of burn in hand. I have plenty of mana available but draw nothing good to play. Game 2. Board in 3x Kor Firewalker and 3x Celestial Purge and out 4x Journey to Nowhere , 2x Mirran Crusader . He can't do much most of the game because I have 2x firewalkers on the board. I cast conqueror's pledge. Next turn beastmaster and then swing for the game.
- Game 3. This was a really close one. With land he manages to widdle me down to 2 life with 2x Goblin Guide and a bunch of burns spells. Finally I have presence on the board with hero-of-blade, thopter tokens, and beastmaster. Game over. If he had drawn one more land I would have probably lost.
- Post match. Too close of a game for my taste. Luck was on my side I guess but also poor choice on his part for keeping a hand with only 1x land.

Top 2Match #6 vs. B/R Vampires (Guy from Match #2) (2-0)- Game 1. I have plenty of land on the board and 3x birds on the board with nothing to play in hand. I even have to block with the birds eventually.
- Game 2. Side in the purges again. Every time I lay down a mana producer he burns them to death. Sadly the only thing I can cast for most of my turns were 2 beastmasters. No creatures though. I draw a Garruk Wildspeaker trying to help me with my mana situation. Sadly the beast token and garruk are burn to death. In hand I have 2x pledges, white sun, and elspeth t. Next couple of turns i draw no lands. I'm totally screwed. Two beastmasters and nothing to play. Total damnation.- Post match. I guess it's my fault for not accepting his offer to draw and split 1st place. Revenge happens to be pretty sweet and sorrowful. I had to lose to B/R vamps at point in the tourney.

Post Tourney SummaryI was overall happy with my standing in the tourney, which is only my 2nd standard FNM local tourney. The deck surpassed my expectations. No one was prepared to handle what my deck has to bring. I was always able to outrace my opponents and swing for lethal in one turn. This deck never runs out of steam once I have enough mana. Some other decks present at the tourney were R/U/B, Mono-Red Control, R/W Boros, G/W Quest, White Weenie life gain, B/G landfall, and some other decks which I don't remember.

Standard FNM at 'Ready to Play Games'

Match 1 vs Myr Combo (2-0)

Match 2 vs Mono-Black Control#1 (2-0)

Match 3 vs Birthing Pod Mystic (2-1)

Match 4 vs Mono-Black Control#2 Draw for top 4

Match 5 vs Suture Sisters (2-1)

Match 6 vs Mono-Black Control#1 Draw for 1st

Other decks in the tourney included U/B Control, Grixis Mindcrank, Red Deck Wins, Mono U Architect, Necrosis/Blue Sun Zenith combo, a couple of home-brews, a some others I don't remember. Luckily there was no one playing Caw-Blade.