Took 3rd, 9 packs. Sliver Hivelord pulled.
Changes to the deck were as follows:
-4 Marsh Flats
+4 Glacial Fortress
-4 Seachrome Coast
+2 Island
+1 Plains
+1 Celestial Colonnade
-2 Path to Exile
+2 Piracy Charm
Round 1 vs Burn, I win the roll:
Game 1 his Goblin Guide drew me 3 lands, but I was getting dangerously low. I Azorius Charmed the guide to the top of his deck after an attack, then stuck a geist and had vapor snag for the guide again, then snapcaster Azorius Charm to give my Geist and the Angel lifelink, which sealed the deal for me. Colonnade does some great blocking as well. Key play: Piracy Charm on Hellspark Elemental.
In: Piracy Charm, Spell Pierce, SoLS
Out: Cryptic Commands, SoFI
Game 2: Goblin Guide on 1 into Vexing Devil and Guide on 2 makes pretty short work of me.
Game 3: I'm on the play and am able to stick a Delver, who flips, followed by Sword of War and Peace, which quickly ends the game.
Round 2 vs Gruul Beats, I win the roll:
I really liked this guy's deck - Burning Tree Shaman looks so good in this meta, but not vs me.
Game 1: I land a Geist of 3, he plays Yisan, I vapor snag, he plays it again, boomerang, 1 more time and I have snapcaster snag. I didn't see very much of his deck.
No side.
Game 2: He turn 1s Aether Vial. Hmmm... this is new. Turn 2, burning tree into a 1/2 Goyf from a fetch. Next turn, attack with both and bloodrush gore-clan onto burning tree, who I bounce, but the Goyf is now a 3/4 (creature instant land). He taps vial to put back burning tree into Goyf 2. Too many creatures!
In: Path x 3
Out: Piracy Charm x 2, Spell Pierce x 1
Game 3: I start with a Delver, who flips, and land a geist on 3. He has pyroclasm! He gets a burning tree and a spellskite out, but appears to be mostly out of gas. I land a second Geist, and he thinks for a bit and hardcasts a Gore-Clan. So my board is Geist, his is Gore-Clan, Burning Tree, Spellskite. I have 4 cards, he has 1. He's taken some damage from fetches and a shock land, and I haven't (woooo no fetch manabase!). He thinks, then attacks with Gore Clan, lands and passes. I eot play Vapor Snag targeting Emissary, he changes target to Skite taking 3 total. I have a path for Emissary anyway, allowing Geist to swing in. His turn, he draws, thinks for a minute, plays Skite, goes to end of turn. I Venser, targeting Gore Clan. I manage to get my 6th land, turning on Colonnade and ending the game.
Round 3 vs RUG Control, lose the roll:
This was a friend of mine, and I wish we could have just met in the finals.
Game 1: I miss my 3rd land drop for what feels like years while holding Geists and Vensers and Cryptics. Kind of ugh. I did have turn 1 delver, but he played an Engineered Explosives for 0, so I had like 3 turns of looking at an instant and choosing not to reveal it and just hitting him for 1. I took him to 9 anyway, then puttered out, dying to Goyf.
In: Pierce, Cryptic Command, Path x 2
Out: Piracy Charm x2, Azorius Charm x2
Game 2: I mull to 5 on the play, and have turn 1 delver that shows him a spell pierce. He does himself at least 9 damage this game with fetches and shocks to try to land a Goyf under my disruption while still being able to cast Anger of the Gods and Cryptic Command. I Boomerang a shock land on my 3, then stick a Geist with the Pierce to stop the Anger on 4. He dies to the Geist with multiple Angers in hand, but no way to cast 2 of them.
Game 3: What a game!
There's a ton of awesome plays here. We go back and forth- ending with us both with 1 card in hand. I'm at 7 life, he's at 2. He has a raging ravine and Goyf on the field, along with Vedalken shackles on the board, but only 6 mana.
I have a geist and a Colonnade, both of which hit him last turn. I have only the Colonnade up. If he swings with Ravine, he wins, since my card in hand is an island. But I played very aggressively the last turn, so he's sure I have a trick, and if he activates the Ravine and I have removal, he loses. But if Geist can attack, he dies. I've put the fear of Vapor Snag into him! He attacks with just the Goyf, and I take it. On my upkeep, he plays his last card... Cryptic Command, tapping my Geist and bouncing Colonnade. If I had anything in hand, I had the game, but alas. I draw for turn, and it's another land, where I needed a snapcaster, venser, or my own cryptic. Alas, that's game. Still, amazingly close! I realize now that I should have left in Piracy Charm to either give my guys a little attack boost to break vedalken shackles or islandwalk, both of which would have been relevant.
Round 4 vs Scapeshift, I win the roll:
Game 1: Scapeshift is dead in the water vs this deck unless they go off with at least 2 counters in hand and the mana to make it happen.
I land a geist, he gets to 6 lands to my 3, and I purposefully shock myself with a Hallowed Fountain for land 4 in order to tempt him into a 7 land Shift. He goes for it, but forgets to float all his mana beforehand, so I bounce one of the mountains after it resolves, canceling the Valakut triggers. He scoops.
In: Pierce, Cryptic, Pay no Heed x2
Out: Azorius Charm x2, Piracy Charm x2
Game 2: I land turn 1 Delver, revel Pierce, Turn 2 Delver. He dies to double Delver before even hitting 6 lands.
Round 5 vs Burn, I lose the roll:
Game 1: We have a little fight over an Eidolon of Great Revel, but otherwise I counter everything relevant and slam guys into him. Azorius Charm to gain me 6 life locks him out of the game.
Game 2: Repeat of Game 1, with more mountains but less relevant cards on his side of the field.
Overall record: 4-1-0.
Thoughts: Love the deck, love the plays. Might consider 1 more Colonnade, probably replacing an Island, but only once Flooded Strand replaced my Glacial Fortresses. WHICH I CANNOT WAIT FOR!
