DGM Draft Debate - Round 4 vs. Ethereal

Daily Draft Debate

KrazyCaley

31 May 2013

1072 views

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Matchup

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vs.

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Game 1

Ethereal plays first. He mulligans a one-land hand.

Caley keeps a hand of 2x Plains, Swamp, Swift Justice, Azorius Arrester, Maze Abomination, and One Thousand Lashes.

E keeps a 6 hand of 2x Island, Plains, Orzhov Guildgate, Dutiful Thrull, and Inspiration.

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E1

E plays Plains and casts Dutiful Thrull.

C1

C draws Selesnya Guildgate. He plays it and passes.

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E2

E draws Leyline Phantom. He plays Orzhov Guildgate and attacks with the Thrull. (E 20, C 19).

C2

C draws Armory Guard. He plays Plains and casts Azorius Arrester, arresting the Thrull.

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E3

E draws Plains and plays Island.

C3

C draws Dutiful Thrull. He plays Swamp and casts it.

This is a very interesting matchup. Not sure how your deck works yet.

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E4

E draws Azorius Arrester. He plays Island then casts the Arrester, arresting C's Dutiful Thrull.

This is hilarious.

E attacks with Dutiful Thrull and hits. (E 20, C 18).

C4

C draws Plains and plays it. He casts One Thousand Lashes on Dutiful Thrull.

GIVE THE PAST A SLIP

C attacks with Dutiful Thrull and hits. (E 19, C 18)

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E5

E gets whipped. (E 18, C 18) draws Lyev Skyknight. He plays Plains and casts Leyline Phantom.

C5

C draws Kraul Warrior. He plays Plains. He casts Armory Guard and attacks with Azorius Arrester and Dutiful Thrull.

This is really suspicious, coming from this opponent. Caley never casts at sorcery speed precombat unless he has a good reason, and here I think the good reason is that he wants me to think that he's harmless because he's mostly tapped out. Also if he wanted to trade the Arresters he could have offered it earlier. I'm not sure though. He might be just pressing his advantage and trying to make me feel pressured, or bluff me into not blocking and taking free damage. But if he was trying to bluff me he'd probably have left his lands open, I think. Actually, he only has a Plains open and I can't think of many things that would be run in this deck that would only cost one white mana. I don't really think I can afford to just sit here and take the damage. I will block.

E blocks C's arrester with his. C casts Swift Justice on his Arrester. Dutiful Thrull hits and E's arrester dies. (C 18, E 17).

Should have gone with my first instinct.

This was a feigned ignorance play. Good players especially tend to think that if a player casts a lot of stuff pre-combat, their opponent is just screwing up and they have nothing to fear in the combat phase since a player with a combat trick usually shows hesitation to commit to doing anything until their combat trick is resolved. By tapping out except for one Plains, I was trying to show harmlessness and get a free creature kill off the difficult-to-use Swift Justice, which I did.

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E6

Whip damage. (C 18, E 16). E draws Kingpin's Pet. He casts it, then he passes.

This first because it will help stop the One Thousand Lashes problem.

C6

C draws Orzhov Guildgate. He plays it and casts Kraul Warrior.

He still has nothing that can get by Leyline Phantom.

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E7

Whip. (C 18, E 15). E draws Agoraphobia. He attacks with Kingpin's Pet. (C 16, E 15). Then he casts Lyev Skyknight with extort, detaining the Warrior. (E 16, C 15).

This flier issue will get really serious in a turn or two. Need the Guardian or the Skirmisher.

C7

C draws Golgari Guildgate. He casts Maze Abomination and passes.

I might be willing to trade this for Leyline Phantom to force him to be more defensively wary.

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E8

Whip. (E 15, C 15). E draws Island and plays it. He casts Agoraphobia on Maze Abomination, with extort. (E 16, C 14). Then he attacks with Skyknight and Pet. (E 16, C 9).

C8

C draws Stab Wound.

Augh. I really want to cast this on Leyline Phantom, but it would be so easy for him to get rid of. I think Kingpin's Pet is the best play. If I find a flying blocker, Kingpin's Pet is a more serious threat than the Skyknight, and if I don't find a flying blocker, I'm dead anyway. I can pump up Kraul Warrior and trade, maybe, but I'll STILL need something else to get in there.

C kills Kingpin's Pet with Stab Wound.

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E9

Whip. (E 15, C 9). E draws Swamp. He attacks with Lyev Skyknight. (E 15, C 6).

C9

C draws Drudge Beetle. He plays Golgari Guildgate. Then he activates Kraul Warrior and attacks with it. E trades Leyline Phantom for the Warrior. End step, E casts Inspiration and draws Deputy of Acquittals and Plains. Then he casts Deputy of Acquittals bouncing Dutiful Thrull, sending One Thousand Lashes to the graveyard.

Hey! That was only five lashes!

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E10

E draws Plains. He plays Swamp and casts Dutiful Thrull. He attacks with the Skyknight. (E 15, C 3).

C10

C draws Concordia Pegasus.

One time!

C casts Concordia Pegasus and Drudge Beetle.

I wish damage were still on the stack so I could put Agoraphobia on the Pegasus, then pick it up again with damage on the stack.

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E11

E draws Swamp and plays it.

Just need a spot or removal or a Debt to the Deathless to end things.

C11

C draws Ubul Sar Gatekeepers. He casts it and destroys Lyev Skyknight with it.

C attacks with Dutiful Thrull, Drudge Beetle, Concordia Pegasus, Armory Guard, and Azorius Arrester. E blocks Armory Guard with Dutiful Thrull, regenerating it, and trades Deputy of Acquittals for Azorius Arrester. Beetle, Pegasus, and Thrull hit. (E 11, C 3).

In real trouble now.

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E12

E draws Maze Abomination, plays Plains, and casts it.

C12

C draws Forest. He attacks with Concordia Pegasus. (E 10, C 3).

Going to come down to topdecks, but I win if we both draw nothing but lands from here on in.

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E13

E draws Steeple Roc and casts it.

Bah! Where's my Angelic Skirmisher?

C13

C draws Balustrade Spy and casts it. E mills Shadow Alley Denizen, Boros Mastiff, Maze Glider, Tithe Drinker, Concordia Pegasus, and Swamp.

That was AWESOME.

Doesn't really matter; I'm still winning in three turns as things stand.

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E14

E draws Debt to the Deathless. He casts it for 4 and C concedes.

Balustrade Spy, you didn't tell me I was milling him straight to a Debt to the Deathless. You're a SPY, that's your JOB.

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Sideboarding

E makes no changes. C removes Swift Justice and replaces it with Rites of Reaping.

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Game 2

C plays first. He keeps a hand of 3x Forest, Orzhov Guildgate, Golgari Guildgate, Angelic Skirmisher, and Armory Guard.

E keeps a hand of 2x Plains, Dutiful Thrull, Tithe Drinker, Contaminated Ground, Voidwielder, and Skyline Predator.

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C1

C plays Orzhov Guildgate and passes.

E1

E draws Dark Revenant. He plays Plains for Dutiful Thrull.

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C2

C draws Stab Wound. He plays Golgari Guildgate.

E2

E draws Agoraphobia. He attacks with the Thrull. (E 20, C 19).

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C3

C draws Plains. He plays Forest and kills the Thrull with Stab Wound.

Excellent use of this card, I'd say.

E3

E draws Steeple Roc and does nothing.

The screw! Excellent.

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C4

C draws Unflinching Courage. He plays Plains and casts Armory Guard.

E4

E draws Plains. He plays it and passes.

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C5

C draws Kraul Warrior. He plays Forest and puts Unflinching Courage on Armory Guard. He attacks with it and hits. (C 23, E 16). He casts Kraul Warrior.

E5

E draws Shadow Alley Denizen. Then he discards it to get to 7.

Already lost.

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C6

C draws Thrashing Mossdog. He plays Forest and attacks with everything. (C 27, E 10).

With a win on the board, I'll just sit tight on that Skirmisher for now.

E6

E draws Island and plays it. He puts Agoraphobia on Armory Guard.

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C7

C draws Ethereal Armor. He casts Angelic Skirmisher and attacks with Kraul Warrior. (C 27, E 8).

E7

E draws Swamp and plays it. He casts Voidwielder, bouncing Angelic Skirmisher to hand.

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C8

C draws Forest and plays it. He casts Angelic Skirmisher.

E8

E draws Plains and plays it. He casts Tithe Drinker.

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C9

C draws Plains and plays it. He puts Etheral Armor on Angelic Skirmisher, making it 6/6. Then he activates Kraul Warrior to make it a 5/5. Then he attacks with everything, giving it all Lifelink. E blocks the warrior with Voidwielder and takes the Angel. (C 33, E 2).

E9

E draws Boros Mastiff and concedes.

Should not have kept that hand.

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Sideboarding

Neither side makes changes.

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E plays first.

E keeps a hand of Swamp, Plains, Island, Lyev Skyknight, Stab Wound, Leyling Phantom, Skyline Predator.

C keeps a hand of Swamp, Plains, Forest, Selesnya Guildgate, Azorius Arrester, Balustrade Spy, Angelic Skirmisher.

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E1

E plays Swamp and passes.

C1

C draws Plains, plays Selesnya Guildgate, and passes.

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E2

E draws Swamp and plays Island.

C2

C draws Kraul Warrior. He plays Plains and casts it.

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E3

E draws Island. He plays Plains and kills the Warrior with Stab Wound.

C3

C draws Thrashing Mossdog. He plays Swamp and casts Azorius Arrester.

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E4

E draws Voidwielder. He plays Island and casts Lyev Skyknight, detaining Arrester.

C4

C draws Ubul Sar Gatekeepers. He plays Forest and casts Thrashing Mossdog.

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E5

E draws Dimir Cluestone. He plays Swamp and casts Voidwielder bouncing the Mossdog. Then he attacks with the Skyknight and hits. (E 20, C 17).

C5

C draws Golgari Guildgate and plays it. Then he casts Ubul Sar Gatekeepers to kill Lyev Skyknight.

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E6

E draws Orzhov Guildgate and plays it. He casts Leyline Phantom and passes.

C6

C draws Putrefy and plays Plains. He casts Angelic Skirmisher.

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E7

E draws Agoraphobia. He puts it on Angelic Skirmisher and casts Dimir Cluestone.

C7

C draws Forest and plays it. He casts Balustrade Spy, milling Dark Revenant and Swamp.

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E8

E draws Deputy of Acquittals and does nothing.

C8

C draws Balustrade Spy. He attacks with his existing Spy, giving it lifelink. E flashes down Skyline Predator, but C kills it with Putrefy. Spy hits. (C 19, E 18). C casts another spy, milling one Swamp.

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E9

E draws Maze Abomination. He casts it.

C9

C draws Ogre Jailbreaker. He attacks with his spies, giving it all lifelink. (C 23, E 14). Then he casts the Jailbreaker.

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E10

E draws Steeple Roc and casts it. He attacks with Maze Abomination after C declares Lifelink for combat. C blocks with Ogre Jailbreakers and Maze Abomination, trading them for the Abomination. (C 29, E 14).

I'm happy to make this trade. Getting up there is nice for Debt to the Deathless protection.

C10

C draws Swamp and plays it. He declares First Strike for combat and then attacks with his spies. E trades Steeple Roc for one of them; the other hits. (C 29, E 12). C casts Thrashing Mossdog.

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E11

E draws Azorius Arrester. He casts it, arresting the Balustrade Spy. C declares Lifelink for combat and E attacks with Leyline Phantom, hitting, then recasts it. (C 22, E 12).

C11

C draws Orzhov Guildgate and does nothing.

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E12

E draws Maze Glider. He casts it.

C12

C draws Stab Wound. He puts it on Maze Glider.

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E13

E bleeds. (C 22, E 10). He draws Contaminated Ground. He puts down Deputy of Acquittals, picking up Maze Glider, then recasts the Glider.

C13

C draws Forest and plays Orzhov Guildgate.

Deadlock. I am three cards ahead thanks to his draws, but I still have to watch out for Debt to the Deathless. He's already doing 8 damage with it, so he's got eight of the fifteen he needs to kill me with it, assuming he doesn't damage me again.

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E14

E draws Plains and plays it.

I could attack with Maze Glider, but it's the only thing stopping me from dying and I don't want to run into Executioner's Swing or Avenging Arrow. Better to try and win with Debt to the Deathless.

C14

C draws One Thousand Lashes. He puts it on Maze Glider. Then he attacks with Balustrade Spy with lifelink and hits. (C 24, E 8).

Got a lot of those, don't you?

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E15

E gets whipped. (C 24, E 7). He draws Angelic Skirmisher and casts it. He does nothing else.

C15

C draws Plains and plays it.

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E16

E bleeds to 6. He draws Plains and plays it. He chooses lifelink with Skirmisher (as does C), and attacks with it, hitting. (C 20, E 10).

C16

C draws Ethereal Armor and puts it on Balustrade Spy.

Maybe this will make him afraid of Swift Justice.

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E17

E draws Debt to the Deathless. He attacks with Angelic Skirmisher declaring First Strike. C doesn't block. (C 16, E 10).

Didn't make him afraid.

C17

C draws Maze Abomination and casts it.

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E18

E draws Plains and plays it. He declares First Strike for combat, attacks with the Skirmisher, and hits. (C 12, E 10). E casts Debt to the Deathless for x = 7, and wins. E wins the match 2-1.

DAMN it. Oh well. Only one chop block I could have thrown down anyway.

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Thoughts

Debt to the Deathless is a hell of a card. That deck has a LOT of fliers, but he still would have lost without absolutely top-flight play from Ethereal, who was cautious with his removal and tricks and really maximized his damage with them. Very good match.

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Results

Ethereal def. Tappedout 2-1

E - "Game 1, fliers win. Game 2, mana screw. Game 3, epic match where fliers STILL win. Also, Debt to the Deathless is broken."

Lee def. Chryssalid 2-0

E- "Game 1, looked like Chryssalid had it, but Skarrg Goliath beats a 7/7 Ooze token. Game 2, Chryssalid had a three-land hand and was counting on Seek the Horizon to color fix, but she could not draw that fourth land."

Niko def. C.J. 2-0

E- "Game 1, Niko had the better general board, but Lee had an out of control Rubblebelt Raiders that could only be stopped by Grim Roustabout. On the same turn, C.J. drew Trostani's Judgment to get rid of it, but Niko drew Rapid Hybridization and Raiders were turned into frogs. (Caley's note - Frog LIZARD.....Raiders.) Game 2, C.J. missed a land drop early and Niko just sped right past him with a perfect curve out casting."

Fisher def. Raynor 2-1

E - "Game 1, final score 1-0. Long game, and Raynor had juuuust enough to win at the last second. Game 2, Fisher drew all his removal and Raynor didn't. Game 3, Raynor had to mull to 5, but still put up a good fight. Fisher just drew really hot and Raynor had too many mid-range creatures that had low P/T like Balustrade Spy.

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Next Round

Tappedout (2-2) vs. Chryssalid (2-2)

C.J. (1-3) vs. Ethereal (3-1)

Fisher (2-2) vs. Lee (1-3)

Niko (3-1) vs. Raynor (2-2)