Pattern Recognition #357 - Slow Grow Weeks 1 and 2

Features Opinion Pattern Recognition

berryjon

27 February 2025

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Hello Everyone! My name is berryjon, and I welcome you all to Pattern Recognition, TappedOut.Net's longest running article series. Also the only one. I am a well deserved Old Fogey having started the game back in 1996. My experience in both Magic and Gaming is quite extensive, and I use this series to try and bring some of that to you. I dabble in deck construction, mechanics design, Magic's story and characters, as well as more abstract concepts. Or whatever happens to catch my fancy that week. Please, feel free to talk about each week's subject in the comments section at the bottom of the page, from corrections to suggested improvements or your own anecdotes. I won't bite. :) Now, on with the show!

And so I finally get to talk about the first two weeks of the Slow Grow tournament! Well, there was the small problem that the person running the tournament at the store left because they were offered a higher paying job, so the LGS was stuck for a week as they got the new hire up to speed. So yeah, that happened.

I'm going to offer to run next years.

Anyway, as some decks have these cards in them, a ban-list was produced for this tournament. That being, Thassa's OracleGC, Drannith MagistrateGC, Finale of Devastation, Underworld BreachGC, ExpropriateGC, Mox DiamondGC, Mox Opal, Rhystic StudyGC, Smothering TitheGC, Isochron Scepter, Cerulean Wisps, Brine Elemental, Narset, Parter of Veils, Time Sieve, Omniscience, Etali, Primal Conqueror  ^Flip, Sensei's Divining Top, Aetherflux Reservoir, Voja, Jaws of the Conclave, Memnarch and Walking Ballista.

Very random, until you realize that these were combo pieces that have dominated a lot of the last couple of years. And to be honest, I would have put Tithe and Top into Aminatou right away if I ran that deck. If the card is already in your deck as part of the precon, you get it week 1, but it has to be removed week 2 and replaced.

In addition, the points are very simple. +4/3/2/1 points for coming in first, second, third, fourth/fifth. +1 point for first combat damage. -1 for killing the player with the fewest points at the table (starting with round 2), +1 for finishing before time is called (all players) and +1 per Commander Damage Kill.

Very barebones. We'll see how it goes!

WEEK 1

Round 1 - FIGHT!

Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit / Sam, Loyal Attendant are first, Gandalf, Westward Voyager is second, Zimone, Mystery Unraveler is third, and I am last in table rotation.

Frodo gets first blood on Zimone, and everyone has their commanders out on curve. People build up their board state, and Zimone is able to get their Commander through for 3 points of damage. This will be important later. Eveyone was building up their forces, while Gandalf was being bullied by everyone. He was a little mana-deprived, and couldn't get his feet under him. I was a little thin on Deserts myself, which meant I had to play very defensively.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Zimone drops Ezuri's Predation, which wipes me out, and clears a lot of the board in general. Then on their next turn, they Beanstalk Giant into Overwhelming Stampede. Zimone herself has 21 power thanks to the Giant, and she swings at me, with my only blocker my Commander. Everyone else gets a whole lot of Beasts to the face. I talk Zimone down from swinging anything else at me for a very good reason.

Yes, I die to commander Damage, just barely, but here's the most important part:

I'm at 10 life and the others are less than me. I lose out on the Commander Kill, but we get Time, and I come in second!

Listen, this was play of the day as far as I was concerned. The double-whammy of all the Beasts and then the follow-through with the massive power upgrade was amazing amazing to watch, and when we realized that Zimone could take us down with just the Commander damage in a deck not meant for it? Well, it was a loss worth having.

Round 2 - FIGHT!

Winter, Cynical Opportunist goes first, Hakbal of the Surging Soul is second (hereafter referred to as Hackball, I'm third, and Hakbal of the Surging Soul is fourth. They are referred to as Heckball, with a theoretical third being Hickball, then Hockball, Huckball and then if we were at a table of 8 - Hyuckball - pronounce that one like Goofy would.

Anyway, this was a very slow start to the game, and everyone had their Commanders out on curve. I was able to start up with my Deserts, and get a few tokens out, and post importantly - I cast Scute Swarm on Turn 4. Turn 5 was followed up with an Hour of Promise, which gave me 6 lands and thus two more Scutes and a total of 8 Sand Warriors and a Zombie token!

I was going wide, but I really felt the pain of not being able to go tall. Sadly, Hackball dropped Curse of the Swine to take out all three of my Scutes.

Sadly, Winter had a problem.

I had Scavenger Grounds. They were locked out of their graveyard as long as I played correctly, and I did so.

Sadly, it wasn't enough and I came in third on Life totals. Oh well.

I also need to stop using that word as often as I did.

Round 3 - FIGHT!

The player in first is rolling Twenty Ways To Win and Go-Shintai of Life's Origin as the Commander. Aminatou, Veil Piercer was in second. Zimone from round 1 was back, and we high-fived each other over their win again. I was in last place.

Sadly, this was a slow burn of a game. I was able to Harrow away my only desert to get more lands, then slap down the Sun Titan as the largest body on the board to get it back and get some more Sand Warriors. But that's enough for me to spend all my mana to cast Rumbleweed and slam through to kill 20WtW. Except that he's actually one point less than me, and that means I just killed the player with the lowest point total at my table... AAAAAARRRGHHHH!

Anyway, Aminatou stays safe behind their Sphere of Safety and neither I nor Zimone can get through, so they win, and I'm in third on life totals. With a lost point for hitting down.

I have 7 points at the end of the Week 1.

The leader has 19.

It's going to be that kind of tournament, isn't it?

WEEK 2

IN: Arid Archway, Austere Command, Anointed Procession, Boros Charm, Doubling Season.
OUT: Forest, Crawling Sensation, Genesis Hydra, Angel of the Ruins, Yuma, Proud Protector

So, the logic here is simple. I need more Deserts, and the Archway is a Desert that allows me to bounce another Desert back to my hand, which means that I can improve my Hazezon drops. Cutting a Forest was the best option to me at this time as I was trimming more than from the casting costs in front of me. Procession and Season should need no introduction. More tokens is always better. Austere Command went in instead of Hour of Reckoning because it was pointed out to me that the Command can not only keep my tokens in play, it can keep Hazezon as well.

Putting in Boros Charm was a gamble, one that will pay off as you'll see. But it was a close call with Heroic Intervention instead. But like Hour of Reckoning, Intervention still has a place in the deck. I just need to get to it.

As for the removals? Well, they're all pretty much the same. Too expensive, too narrow and not fitting in the theme I want to take this deck.

And all of this over three weeks between Weeks 1 and 2. I had time to think. And plan. And ready myself for my sterling comeback!

Round 4 - FIGHT!

I have fewest points, so I'm 'protected'.

Satya, Aetherflux Genius is first, I am second, Dogmeat, Ever Loyal is second, and Zinnia, Valley's Voice is last. Satya topdecks an Esper Sentinal and plays that right off the bad, setting the stage for the whole game. I am off to the races myeslf with a T1 Sol Ring into my Boots, while Dogmeat echoes that with a T1 Sol Ring.

And what does Zinna do to match this?

Play a land.

On T2, the Sentinal hits me for combat damage, and then I lay down a second lad for a T2 Hazezon. Dogmeat stumbles a little bit, as they play Ian the Reckless and then Veronica, Dissident Scribe. Looks like they're a little lacking in the mana fixing.

Zinna is forced into a T2 discard because they kept a one land hand, and they don't have a graveyard deck. They never really get their feet under them this game. Dogmeat runs into mana issues as well, and can't get the engine going. It's a good shot though! Ian does work!

So I cast Hazezon on T3, ready to equip the Boots. And in response to the equip, Satya evokes Solitude, pitching ... frak, I don't remember. They take out Hazezon because - and this is one of the good players at the LGS, who has an accurate view of threat assessment - he knows that letting my commander down on T3 is bad. T5? Not as bad.

Satya starts running away with the game though, as they start duplicating their Overclocked Electromancer and a Sphinx whose name I can't read on my notes. checks precon list - maybe it's there...? Ah! Sphinx of the Revelation! It's bad. Bad enough that I'm forced to Heaven / Earth for 5 to get rid of the worst things on their board, and take out Zinna in the collateral, and time is called before I can Heaven / Earth for the rest. He won, I came in last place on life.

Round 5 - FIGHT!

I have fewest points, so I'm 'protected'.

Commodore Gruff is in first, I'm going second, Gandalf, Westward Voyager is third, and one of our Hackball decks is last. I get a T2 Explore off to set me perfectly up for a Hazezon+Desert on T3, and it happens without a hitch. Gandalf missed their T3 land drop, but everyone else is getting their game plan in line. I'm holding back for now, watching people - especially the Planeswalker deck.

On turn 6, I drop an Avenger of Zendikar and everyone panics. I only have 7 lands, and 7 plants! They're chump blockers!

They don't know that I have Sheffet Dunes in hand, and Field of the Dead in play. I can sac the former to the latter and then play it again to get Hazezon triggers, Field triggers, and to make all my stuff just a little bigger!

It also brings home to me that I can go wide, but closing the game out with 1/1's isn't going to work. I need better options in week 3 and 4. I'll get them coming.

PW kills the Avenger (and not much else) buy casting Elspeth, Sun's Champion and ticking her down to kill all creatures with power 4 or greater.

In response, I take out all their PWs, and a good chunk of their health with Sheffet Dunes leading into a surprise Return of the Wildspeaker. Say what you will about the mana cost, but a surprise +4/+4 on a small horde of tokens is quite lethal. Time is called on their turn. They go down on my following turn, having not been able to rebuild. But because of the rules of the format, I get to take her turn on time, so I get two turns to the 1 each for Hackball and Gandalf.

Hackball and Gandalf are in a tense stand off. Neither are in a position to get through my board state, and over committing to kill the other may not be good enough. Gandalf is at 3 life, and has a Hullbreaker Horror in play, and Hackball is at 12.

Me? I'm still at 36, the only damage to me from Gruff's activations. A quick Hazezon is terrifying.

So Hackball swings for lethal at Gandalf, hoping to assure himself of second place and Gandalf taps out to cast a spell to activate the Horror to prevent him from dying by bouncing something of Hackball's.

So I hit him in the face with the Boros Charm.

His expression was glorious as he read the card and then read the card. He was so used to seeing the charm used for its protection ability (and rarely the Double Strike) that he had forgotten that it was also a burn spell!

He died to a Desert BURN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hackball realized that I had the advantage on my turn, and concedes. I take first! WOO-HOO!

Round 6 - FIGHT!

Morska, Undersea Sleuth is first, Dogmeat is back in second, the Gandalf from last match is beside me, and I'm last in the table order.

Gandalf and I are tied at 12 points total, while the other two are at 9 point total because they missed the previous week. It's basically a team game at this point.

I foolishly misread my hand, and keep a hand with no sources in it, but the Heart of the Cards provides, and I topdeck Desert of the Indomitable. Not the best, not the worst. The detective gets first blood on Gandalf, and Dogmeat actually goes off this time! Good for them!

It's a slow spiral down hill as those two target us, and Dogmeat in particular is very aggressive and I'm spending all my Sand Warriors just to chump block.

Then the Detective drops Tangletrove Kelp with 11 Clues in play, and I can't fight that off. It's game for me, and I'm in last place.

After week 2, I have an additional 6 points. This is 13 total. Of the 23 players who have played, five have only played one week, and they're in the bottom slots. I'm in last place of all players who have played two weeks, sitting in 18th overall. The lead player has THIRTY-FOUR points.

I'm going to finish this tournament, then I'm going to rebuild Hazezon into something more. That's for suse.

Thank you all for reading! I'll see you next week when I talk about ... something. I'm not sure yet. but it will be here, I assure you!

Until then, please consider donating to my Pattern Recognition Patreon. Yeah, I have a job (now), but more income is always better, and I can use it to buy cards! I still have plans to do a audio Pattern Recognition at some point, or perhaps a Twitch stream. And you can bribe your way to the front of the line to have your questions, comments and observations answered!