16/55 - 09.30.11
It's been awhile since I've both been active here or done any FNM; with a desire to follow the establishment of a new Format, I headed up north of my location to secure more cards than I care to admit; build a deck on the fly; and enter into a FNM tournament at CCGhouse - the following is a dramatize account of those events; any similarity to persons living or dead is entirely NOT coincidental at all.
Having really no idea what to expect from a new Format isn't something we get to experience very often, so its somewhat of a treat when things change. Format rotation wipes the field and create the opportunity to be the first on the scene with a new concept; or at least use one you think is going to be of weight when folks start taking about 'Archetypes' and such. Returning to the competitive scene of Magic after quite a hiatus, thats where I found myself as I sped to my FNM destination with little knowledge of the set outside of what I heard and read; which consisted of a 145 card spoiler and the idea that I didnt want to play a color that I was typically bias towards or prone to. White and Green came to mind.
As I arrived at my destination, I had just over an hour to complete my transactions; concept and build. Looking at the card lists, Humans looked fast and cheap I have avoided the hype about transformations but having met the Mayor of Avabruck
, he seemed like a nice enough guy that I could put some stake in. So I decided that this tribe was for me the shop owner and I have been acquainted for over a decade, so when I asked him to help me concept and build, not trusting my own lack of recent experience and exposure, we grabbed the whole slew of White and Green cards and laid them out to examine quickly! Game time in 45mins now and counting down quickly!Fortunately, I tend to thrive in stressful situations and the shop owner of CCGhouse surfs this type of scene on every event they host. We hunkered down and put our heads together in what Im sure sounded a bit like a bowling alley. I didnt come terribly prepared with 12th edition additives, so some research there was necessary for additive material. I provided a few key elements of what I wanted in the deck The Mayor as discussed, Nevermore was a card Id read on the spoiler sites that I was fond of to shut down recursions or concepts all together; Grand Abolisher to excuse myself from the concern of what someone else might be considering on MY turn; and the Gavony Township as there didnt seem like a lot of things to spend late game mana on. Id only brought two (2) oblivion rings and needed a couple more. Things just sorta came together from there. There are only so many humans, after all, and with no digital content in front of us save the cards themselves, it was just a matter of making the right choices.
We thought we were done but had to consult a seasoned tournament player, who was also competing; a few final suggestions were made as neither of us were strong with the sideboard. I knew I could expect some Poison, as its been a popular alternative win condition, but with the removal of several power plays, Poison has a chance now. Thus Melira, Sylvok Outcast was an obvious include and finds the tribe well. As does the
Elite Inquisitor
because there are just certain things youre going to see, and you need to plan on them! A few card quantities were adjust by our consultant and
Bonds of Faith
was added, along with Nihil Spellbomb for the simple fact that there is a LOT of graveyard manipulation within the current Format.
The call was sounded by this point and Id just finished putting the final sleeve on the cards. I tend to use the same exact sleeve for all my cards, for this reason, but as many of these were newly acquired just something else to put us closer to GAME TIME!!!
1st Match Black Poison (2-0) My opponent was having a tough go of land and kept encountering my Ghostquarter playing very well against the Inkmoth Nexus.
2nd Match Black/Green Control (1-2) Played strong but couldnt get to Nevermore quick enough to shut down Black Sun's Zenith which was the real problem as this opponent was also mainboarding Melira, Sylvok Outcast for an excellent combination of magic. I have a good deal more creatures, but the lack of draw makes recovery slow. We exchange two VERY good matches but the final was decided against me. Thrun, the Last Troll also proved to be a problem until Firststrike was in my favor. I believe with a stronger mainboard of Nevermore and/or card advantage, the tables here would have been turned to my favor.
3rd Match White/Artifact Steel (1-2) Tempered Steel decks can outpace Humans (period.) The good news is that White begets White pretty easily; especially when Green is splashed in. I have Artifact solutions but will probably move towards
Creeping Corrosion
as I expect to see more Tempered Steel in this format. I had an issue here where I simply didnt know the proper time to mulligan and what to keep; the deck was too damn new for me and I was lacking some play experience. I lost one match to that. The other loss was simply unavoidable. Steel can ramp up and swing incredibly fast! It is very early to provide this sort of statement, but I do believe well be seeing plenty more of Tempered Steel.
4th Match Blue Mill (2-0)This deck and match looked to be sided in my favor from the beginning. Card draw, of any kind, for Human or tempo decks in general better be backed with some counter magic! In this case, it often wasnt and I simply zergd to victory.
5th Match Red/Green Werewolves (2-1)Love the matches, but I didnt have a lot of issues here. Humans are quicker so long as you dont stall. My loss was due, again, to starting the match with a single land and NOT taking a mulligan, thinking I could play a good deal of what was in my hand. Still, we learn.
Results are posted at the top.
Thanks to Shane and Brian for the assistance. I think we could have gone 2-0, 2-0, 1-2, 2-0, 2-0 if Id have not made mistakes, but regardless, Im looking forward to do it again! Perhaps without error and a bit more prepared.
Enjoy and thanks for the time.
