3/18/2019:
I finished 9-5-1 (9-6) with Mono-U Faeries at Grand Prix Tampa. This was my first Grand Prix.
List: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/modern-mono-u-faeries-1/
Rd 1 - Eldrazi Tron (2-1)
(1-0)
Game 1: My opponent mulliganed down to 5 and kept a weak hand. She didn't do much before scooping and I actually wasn't entirely sure what she was playing.
(In: 2 Ceremonious Rejection, 1 Dismember - Out: 3 Vapor Snags)
Game 2: She starts out with T1 Eldrazi Temple, Eldrazi Mimic into T2 Eldrazi Temple TKS, into T3 Reality Smasher swing for 14. I scooped before she even attacked.
Game 3: She did a turn 1 chalice on 1 and I had just scried a ceremonious rejection to the top. Luckily I resolved a couple Mistbind Cliques and she never kept anything on the battlefield long. All the matches were pretty one-sided
Rd 2 - Bant Spirits (2-0)
(2-0)
I honestly don't remember much about this match other than my opponent played very slowly and game 1 took 30 mins. I vapor snagged a drogskol captain when he tried to cast Phantasmal Image and I think I countered a Coco. It honestly wasn't a match worth much mentioning.
Rd 3 - Whir Prison (2-1)
(3-0)
Game 1: This felt like the real start of the tournament. This player was really good. He got down an ensnaring bridge with 3 cards in hand so I was able to still attack him for a bit. I think I eventually bounced the bridge for lethal.
(In: 2 Ceremonious Rejection, 2 Echoing Truth, Negate, Spell Pierce, 2 Hurkyls - Out: Dismember, Vapor Snag, idr)
Game 2: He played torpor orb super early which hurt a ton. He eventually got out three chalice of the voids and I scooped once he landed chalice on 4. He was at 5 health.
Game 3: He started out with mox opal and 2 baubles. On turn 2 he whirred for Torpor Orb. Resolving Mistbind cliques without championing a faerie feels really weird. I kept up counters for ensnaring bridges and eventually won with beats.
Rd 4 - GDS (2-0)
(4-0)
Game 1: This is one of my best match ups. He resolved a gurmag angler which I promptly dismembered and I vapor snagged a Death's Shadow. He had two Stubborn Denials that he won a counter war with me with and he also bolted a couple of my early creatures when I tried to cast Mistbind Clique on his upkeep. At one point he was going to swing big with a Death's Shadow but pre-combat he tapped his last black mana for another spell so I was able to snag the shadow and he couldn't even recast it. Even though he had a great start I was able to win due to my deck having such an advantage over his.
(In: Dismember, Echoing Truth - Out: Remands)
Game 2: He's stuck on two lands and after I beat him down to 8 he drops 2 Death's Shadows on me. I'm at 20 life however so other than a Temur Battle Rage im not all that worried about dying in one hit. He takes a solid 4 mins to decide to attack or not since he was dead on the crack back and ultimately swings both, I declare no blocks and I just take 10 damage. He then plays a third Death's Shadow as a blocker to prevent lethal. I had an answer for it in hand already but then drew Echoing Truth anyway and bounced all 3 back to his hand before swinging for lethal.
Rd 5 - Turbo Vizier 2-0 (originally thought it was counters company)
(5-0) Note: This player (Christopher Minor) was extremely good and eventually made top 32
Game 1: He T1 played Incubation and I believe revealed a Duskwatch Recruiter. Later he plays it and I let it flip. I managed to counter or remove most everything he played, including a game-winning postmortem lunge, while I got in with the beats.
(In: Grafdiggers, Dismember, Negate, Spell Pierce, Spell Snare - Out: Snaps, Remands)
Game 2: I'm struggling to remember what happened in this game. I countered an Eldritch Evolution after it already sacced a creature which always feels good.
Rd 6 - Humans (0-2)
(5-1) Note: This player made top 32. This is also my worst matchup as I have practiced it a ton with a friend and the only way to win is typically with Mistbinds.
Game 1: I am on the Draw and keep a spell heavy hand with 2 lands. He plays T1 Champion of the Parrish, T2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and I don't draw another land as he gets big quick.
Game 1 is over in less than 4 minutes.
(In: Dismember, Echoing Truth, Spell Snare - Out: Remands)
Game 2: I mulligan down to 5 and he has a fast start. I play turn 2 smugglers copter and he plays turn 3 Knight of Autumn to blow it up. He mentions his buddy played me earlier and gave him a heads up.
Rd 7 - Amulet Titan (2-1)
(6-1) Note: With this win I secured day 2!
Game 1: My opponent resolves sakura tribe scout, an amulet, and Azusa but does a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the match. I am beating his face in with a copter and mistbind clique for 7 a turn (common theme for the day) and have 4 mana up with Cryptic, Spell Stutter, and Familiar's Ruse in hand. He is dead next turn. On his turn he casts primeval titan and I decide to Cryptic Command it since I didn't want to reveal that I play Familiar's Ruse. Big mistake. He Pact of Negation's the Cryptic and proceeded to swing for 20+ in one attack step. I really beat myself up about this for a while.
(In: Echoing Truth, Negate, Surgical Extraction - Out: Dismember, idr)
Game 2 and 3: I vapor snagged resolved titans and spellstutter sprited summoners pacts to victory. Mistbind is also great in this matchup. He resolved a Zacama, Primal Calamity at one point but I just kept it from attacking with vapor snags.
Rd 8 - Counters Company (1-2)
(6-2)
Game 1: This is actual counters company. He found the combo relatively quick and cast WB for a million.
(In: Grafdiggers, Dismember, Negate, Spell Pierce, Spell Snare - Out: Snaps, Remands)
Game 2: Even though I mulled to 5 an early Graf stopped him dead in his tracks and he eventually died to flying beats
Game 3: I mulligan down and keep a Grafdiggers hand. He plays a turn 2 devoted druid and rather than risk dying to a natures claim/vizier combo by playing Copter I decide to play a 2nd miscreant and a 2nd Grafdiggers. Next turn he plays Knight of Autumn and blows 1 up. I draw a third and play it to keep the lock. I am getting in with air beats and get off a Vendilion Clique to see a Coco, Kitchen Finks and a Mirror Entity(!) I decided to take the Finks since 2 HPs changed my clock from 2 turns to 3. He plays Mirror Entity and swings in deep, I can only take 1 more attack from him before I die but It's ok because I have lethal next turn. Nope, he plays the Kitchen Finks he just drew for 2 HPs. Why didn't I just take the mirror entity? Why didn't I just turn 2 Smugglers Copter? This razor-thin loss was heart breaking.
Rd 9 - GB Rock (1-2)
(6-3)
Game 1: He T1 inquisitions away SSS and plays an early Goyf. Meanwhile I'm getting in with Copter beats. He gets me to 1 and he's at 9, but I draw a vapor snag to buy me some time. For the previous two attacks he declared he was swinging for 5, with his goyf die at 5 and both thinking it was a 5, but it turns out it should have been a 6. A judge call later and it is ruled that instead of dying I get to stay at 1 HP. Snag and Remand with Copter beats steal away the game.
Game 2: T1 Inquisition takes SSS. He resolves a Lili of the Last Hope and proceeds to kill all my little dudes with her. It was over from then on out.
Game 3: I decide to keep a 1 land hand that has 3 1-drops and a bunch of 2-drops. He T1 inquisitions away SSS for the third T1 in a row. I dont draw my 2nd land, and he is stuck on 2. We pass turn back and forth 3-4 times and I finally hit my 2nd land. Next turn he finds his 3rd land and plays Lili of the Last Hope again. Just 1 land and I would have had the lock. Another close game that I felt could have easily went my way.
DAY TWO:
Rd 10 - Scapeshift (2-0)
(7-3)
Game 1: This kid could not have been older than about 10, but he knew his deck and what he was doing. He bolts a smugglers copter early while I counter his early ramp. A V-Clique shows Bolt and 2 BBE. He bolts the clique and I take of the BBEs. Next turn he casts BBE and cascades into another bolt which I counter with SSS. A couple turns laters he finds his 4th bolt which is nuts. I kept him off Titan and raced his BBE to victory.
Game 2: I held up counter magic as he continued to play land and pass. The turn before I win with beats he plays Scapeshift with 7 lands out and I Cryptic it. He says he has 3 scapeshifts
in hand and just needed the 8th land to double scapeshift. Afterwards I was told by my friend that the correct play was to counter & bounce a land. Good to know.
Rd 11 - Burn (2-1)
(8-3)
Game 1: He wins the die roll and T1 lava spikes me. I T1 miscreant and he T2 plays Eidolon. I counter a burn spell with a spell stutter on my miscreant, but he shoots another bolt at it
making it so he can attack with his 2/2. I hold up 3 mana. He plays a land and swings in with Eidolon as I Vapor Snag it. He gets greedy and decides to Boros Charm me before playing the Eidolon again which I promptly Spellstutter. By the time he gets me to 4 I am in full contol and he dies to beats.
(In: Spell Pierce, Spell Snare, Negate, Echoing Truth - Out: Dismember, Remands)
Game 2: I mull down and keep a weak hand. His is super fast with swiftspears.
Game 3: I keep a hand full of spellstutters and he only gets me down to 11 before I finish him with copter beats.
Rd 12 - Mono-Green Elves (1-2)
(8-4)
Game 1: He wins the die roll but mulligans down to 5. He plays nettle sentinel and passes. Elves is one of my worst matchups, especially since I cut Aetherize from the sideboard for this tournament. His coco only hits 2 mana dorks. He keeps hitting me with 2/2s and 3/3s. I get him to 9 and have him dead with perfect lethal the next turn. I have snap/vaporsnag if he swings in to bounce his lord. Unfortunately he topdecks another lord off the top and I didn't have enough blockers to survive.
(In: Dismember, Echoing Truth - Out: Remands)
Game 2: He mulls down to 5 again. This time he doesn't do a whole lot and I beat him down fairly quickly.
Game 3: He gets out an early Archdruid and we are racing. I tap out and he resolves CHOKE! I proceed to draw three islands so I am able to still play a blue spell every turn. I get down Mistbind Clique and Have him dead in 2 turns. He resolves another Archdruid and an Ezuri the very next turn and I don't have the blue mana for my Cryptic to buy me the turn I desperately needed.
Rd 13 - Amulet Titan (2-0)
(9-4)
Game 1: Pretty similar to the previous Titan game except he never resolved an Amulet. V Clique'd away a Walking Ballista, counter a ton of pacts and titans, vapor snagged the ones I couldnt counter.
Game 2: Surgical Extraction on his Titans FTW
Rd 14 - Izzet Phoenix (0-2)
(9-5)
Game 1: He had a blazing fast start on the Play and faith looting'd 2 Phoenix n the GY. I snagged his flipped titi but the phoenix's were too much too fast. This is usually a competitive
matchup believe it or not. The Gutshot versions are a lot better against me, which he was on. Also my SB is full of good cards for this m/u
(In: 4 Grafdigger's Cage, Dismember, Echoing Truth, Spell Snare, Spell Pierce, Surgical Extraction - Out: Remands, Snaps, idr)
Game 2: T1 Grafdigger's Cage. Got my opponent to 2 and then drew Islands for 3 turns in a row while he kept up a hard cast phoenix as a blocker vs my 2 1/1s. Feels bad.
Rd 15 - Jeskai Control (1-1-1)
(9-5-1 but 9-6)
Game 1: Definitely my worst control matchup. Electrolyze is an all-star and Helix + Bolt messes me up. He resolves a Jace which I kill and a Teferi which I can't. Game took way too long.
Game 2: I have him down to 6 HPs but he stabilizes. I play a 2nd Copter but he has Colonnade as a blocker. He goes to Detention Sphere the two copters and I respond with SSS, He responds with Cryptic and I respond with another SSS naming D-Sphere again. He's tapped out and I got 6 in the air coming at him, he concedes.
Game 3: With 4 mins on the clock we try to play fast but realistically there is not enough time. We got to turn 5 in Rounds I show him my hand and ask if he'd like to concede because we were under the impression that neither of us got anything if we drew. He declines so I concede to him instead. Have your $250 and Pro Point my dude. It was only after they posted the standings that I saw anything with 28 points would have prized. I came in 115th (prize was top 110). I'm honestly still beating myself up over the decision. I was just trying to brighten someones day. No good deed goes unpunished.
Notes:
This deck is FUN to play. Not so fun to play against. After the tournament two judges tried the deck out and loved it.
I didn't practice much for this event and haven't been into Modern a whole ton lately. I was expecting to do mediocre, drop and play side events. After this experience it makes me want to actually be ready for the next one. A sideboard guide would have helped immensely, for example, and really knowing my opponents decks a bit better.
Most of my games were turn 1 faerie miscreant and then turn 2 hold up SSS or cast Smugglers Copter. Resolved Mistbind Cliques almost always meant victory.
I didn't play vs what is probably my best matchup, UW Miracles, all tournament. I also never saw Dredge which I was expecting with my 4 grafdiggers cages.
It really hurts to side out snaps for cages vs Counters Co. because it is a big part of the deck. I'd like to find some alternative graveyard hate.
I feel like I played pretty tight all event, but mostly only identified misplays in the matches that I won.
I lost most of my die rolls all tournament. Rolling a 2 when your opponent rolled a 3 really stinks (2d6).
I am definitely going to try out BB in the main and also some black sideboard cards, but didnt take the time to test this before the tournament.
What worked and what didn't work:
- Vapor Snag kills a lot of people on 1 health. I also Vapor Snag my own creatures probably more than my opponent's. It is often SSS or Snap 5-8
- Smuggler's copter performed really well.
- 2 Echoing truths in the side felt like too much (1 should have been a surgical)
- I sided out Remands for Spell Snare/Spell Pierce/Negate a LOT. I am considering Remands in the side instead and bring the hard counter to the main
