Cast a Shadow

Modern Argy

SCORE: 150 | 314 COMMENTS | 26164 VIEWS | IN 75 FOLDERS

5th at FNM 2-1-1 —June 4, 2016

The theme of this report is to never slow play.

Here's the round up.

1-2 Aristocrats

Got mana and colour screwed my first game, sitting on 3 Swamps for the first six turns.

That was enough for my Opponent to overrun me.

Sided in Declaration in Stone and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and took out Ob Nixilis Reignited and Duress.

Second game I drew into enough fuel to dispatch everything he played and ended up hitting him with Gideon, Ally of Zendikar a lot.

Third game I just ran out of gas. Wasn't drawing into any Languish or Declaration in Stone. He did a huge play where he got four Creatures on to the field in one turn and then it was game over.

2-1 Seasons Past

I was salty about playing this deck as I was playing in a casual deck pool, and this was clearly the Tier 1 version of this deck.

As soon as he started playing I said, "Oh, this is Seasons Past? Well it's gg for me."

First game he smashed me.

I couldn't play Kalitas because he had Grasp of Darkness and Ultimate Price in hand. I knew this from playing a couple of early hand disruption cards.

He also used Ruinous Path during the game.

I had a think before Sideboarding and reasoned that I may as well take out most of my Creatures but none of my removal or hand disruption.

I put in Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Declaration in Stone and took out Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, one Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip and Dead Weight. Now everything I had in the deck was some form of complete Creature removal, except for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar. I would make it a priority when playing Duress or Transgress the Mind to remove either of the two pieces of his combo: Seasons Past or Dark Petition

He had sided in Infinite Obliteration and played it early on, naming Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. Of course, I now had none of those in my deck. Since a lot of his cards were for Creature removal I got card advantage over him. I could remove all of his Creatures, but I had none for him to destroy.

I took a look at his hand and got rid of a lone Ruinous Path, and a sole Seasons Past, then proceeded to wreck face with Gideon as an Indestructible 5/5, and using Sorin's first ability. Any Creatures he brought out I dispatched right away.

Second game I took out a Dark Petition from his hand, on my first turn. I was able to hit with Gideon, Ally of Zendikar four times for game. I asked him what happened at the end of the match and he said that he hasn't drawn into any Creatures or Ruinous Path, and me removing Dark Petition meant that he couldn't tutor for anything.

gg to him.

2-0 Humans

I played this deck a couple of weeks ago. This time it had been tweaked to make it more aggressive. Most of the cards were two CMC.

I basically had answers to remove each Creature as he brought it out, and added insult to injury by removing his Neglected Heirloom  ^Flip with Anguished Unmaking.

The second game was faster than the first as I took out Transgress the Mind for Declaration in Stone and Ob Nixilis Reignited for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar. He had an Always Watching on the field which he was just not able to utilise.

1-1 Aggro

At the start of this match my Opponent admired my playmat, which is a picture of Chandra, Roaring Flame  ^Flip.

We talked about how much we loved Chandra for a bit and I showed him my vanity collection of every Chandra ever made, which I always keep at the back of my deck box.

This includes both black Chandras, the alt art Japanese one from the duel decks, and a promo of Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh  ^Flip I was lucky enough to crack.

This was my mistake as we ran out of time to play our third match and he went on to win the night.

Had I have beaten him in the third game I would have claimed first place.

Game 1 he played a very aggressive game, hitting with Haste Creatures like Village Messenger  ^Flip and curving into Thinderbreak Regent and Avaricious Dragon.

I was able to dispatch all Creatures, but not until they had hit me once or twice.

Then I did a REALLY stupid play.

He has a lone Thunderbreak Regent on the field.

I played Sorin, Grim Nemesis and SHOULD have killed his Dragon, ending up with an extra life in the process.

Instead I used Sorin's first ability and drew a card.

I saw my mistake as soon as I passed turn.

He pumped the Dragon up with Titan's Strength and hit me for 7, putting me on 2 life.

I had Ob Nixilis Reignited and Sorin, Grim Nemesis on the field but couldn't get rid of the Dragon with either of them, and stay alive. I would be dead as soon as I targeted the Thunderbreak Regent, before I could even get life gain from Sorin.

I did the usual Sideboard, subbing in Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Declaration in Stone, remembering that I needed plenty of ways to get rid of Thunderbreak Regent without targeting it.

To this end I held on to one To the Slaughter and two copies of Languish that I drew early in the game.

I had to use a Languish to wipe two of his Creatures off the board, and To the Slaughter to dispatch an Avaricious Dragon. Eventually the Thunderbreak Regent came out and I was able to Languish that sucker.

I basically had an answer for every Creature he brought out and was able to hit for big damage by turning Gideon into a Creature.

As we were starting our last game they called time in the round. Neither of us was able to win the third game. We ended up drawing the match.

I was the only person who beat him in a game all night. If I had taken the match I would have had one more point than him, and overtaken him in the rankings.

I am convinced that I could have won the third game, and claimed first place, if I hadn't have slowed up play before starting out first game. Unfortunately I came in fifth.

Lesson: Don't slow up play if you want to win.

Next time I need to show off my Chandra collection AFTER the match is over.

MVPs of the night were Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, who turned into a 5/5 beast, and Sorin, Grim Nemesis, whose card draw and direct damage 1, 2 punch helped clinch a lot of games.