Went in with the expectation to do so-so as I hadn't play tested the deck too much and haven't played Standard for a long time. We were 19 players which meant we would do 5 round Swiss followed by a cut to top 8 with elimination rounds.
First Round: 0-2 Green Devotion
I really don't like this match up for Abzan Midrange style of decks, if they ever get to go off with Genesis Hydra into another beefy creatures it's just gonna get very rough. And resolved Hornet Queens is just a rough time.
Second Round: Bye
So I was 1-1 but still hadn't really played with the deck and had no idea if it was good or bad at this point. But at least I got a long food break.
Third Round: 2-0 Abzan Midrange (Reanimator package)
Faced another Abzan Midrange player who had Whips, Satyr and Commune with the Gods instead of Rakshas, Fleecemanes and so on. The first game kinda got decided after I resolved a T3 Anafenza, and then drew more Rhino than him.
The second game went very long, he played a Turn 6 Elspeth, luckily I topdecked my own Elspeth the turn after, allowing me to hold the ground until I drew Ajani and then Garruk, even a Hornet Queen couldn't stop 3/3 tokens with flying after I used Elspeth's Ultimate.
Round 4: 2-1 Jeskai Tempo
I had been expecting more of the Jeskai Tempo decks, and I felt fairly confident going into the match. I won the first game thanks to my opponent running his Mantis Rider into Bile Blight and then I got to resolve a Rhino while he was tapped out, which I kinda just rode to victory with back up removal.
I then lost the second game due to his hand with triple Disdainful Strokes taking care of my Rhino, Ajani and a second Rhino, meanwhile his Mantis Rider killed me.
Third game he mulled to 6, and then I got to play a Turn 3 Anafenza, that he had to tap out to Banishing Light away. I followed it up with a Rhino, and then a Ajani, which was enough to kill him.
Round 5: 2-0 Sultai Delve/Dredge
Maindecking Anafenza felt really good when I got to start both games with a T3 Anafenza which just destroyed his gameplan. A fairly easy match up I felt.
After that we got the top 8 cutoff, I apparently ended up as 2nd seeded spot, which felt pretty great after that shacky start.
Quarterfinal: 2-1 Abzan Midrange (Reanimator)
Another Abzan reanimator list, game 1 was a messy affair that was decided when he resolved a Hornet Queen that I just couldn't deal with.
Game 2 he stumbled on mana while I resolved triple Rhinos which quickly beat his single Siege Rhino down.
Game 3 I got to play Anafenza, Rhino, Elspeth and quickly finished the game.
Semi-final: 1-2 Green/Black Devotion
Game 1 was won on the back of Fleecemane into Anafenza and he scooped it up 2 turns later after I removed his Polukranos and Courser.
In game 2 I kept a kinda weak and loose 7 hand and died slowly.
Game 3 I got to use my sideboard Duneblast, leaving my Deahtdealer with 6 counters from Ajani left on the board, I brought him down to 3, and he then used 2 Llanowar Wastes to Downfall it, leaving himself at 1. I then proceeded to neither draw any of the other 3 Siege Rhino, the Whip or Herald of Torment and died.
Still went very well for a deck I kinda made up the day before the tournament.
Changes going forward will be to remove the Nyx-Fleece Rams, Banishing Light and Arbor Colossus entirely from the deck as they felt weak all around, although it could be because of the meta of that day. Main deck changes would be to take Utter End and move it to the sideboard. 1-2 Sorins should probably be in the deck and I'm considering adding one more Fleecemane and possibly upping my Elspeth count to 3.
