Postby InflatablePie » Fri Oct 18, 2013 4:19 am
Went to Wednesday Night Magic yesterday. Was going to make a last-minute decision to run PyroBoros and forgot I left my shocks at home. Whoops.
I actually took notes this time too, so yay. Here's a quick tourney report:
MD: 21 Mountain/2 Muta, 3 Chandra, 2 A-Fires, plus the usual
SB: 4 Reckoner, 4 Mortars, 2 Instinct, 2 Hammer, 3 Peak Eruption
Match 0 (warmup) - BW Midrange
Showed up early to my LGS and played a quick, non-sideboard match against someone else to kill some time. From what I could tell, it was some sort of aggro-midrange shell, running Precinct Captain, some number of Sin Collector, topping off with DDemon and Thune and whatnot.
Game 1: Curved out. Cackler into Zealot into Phoenix and ran him over before he dropped anything of note.
Game 2: Topdecked enough burn to keep him off his lower drop creatures. Ended up trading a Phoenix and a Lightning Strike for an
Archangel at one point, and I'm not sure if it was the right play (he also had a Demon on board iirc). Scooped once he had two Demons on board.
Game 3: I mulled to 6 (I think. notes just say "mull-6"). Mountain x3, Zealot, Phoenix, Chandra (iirc). He shock-Thoughtseized me, grabbing an Ash Zealot. Good play. Ran out double Phoenixes, he had an Obzedat out that he chose not to blink for some reason. Blocked it with a Phoenix next turn, Striked the Obz to kill it with trigger on the stack. swung in and got him to 1. Topdecked the 4th land and played the Chandra.
If I was sideboarding, I probably would have switched two A-Fires for Instinct, and brought in some number of Mortars.
46 players show up. We're doing five rounds, cut to top-8, and anyone that goes 4-1 and doesn't make top 8 gets a free constructed entry for next time. And here we go!
Match 1: Junk Midrange
Yeesh. I remember hoping I didn't get paired against Junk after hearing Z's bad luck with this matchup. He was
playing a Reanimator version. Obz, Angel of Serenity, Giant Adephage, Whip, etc.
Game 1: Won the die roll. He kept a hand with Orz-gate+Temple Garden and Elvish Mystics. Luckily I had Shocks and kept him off mana. He kept digging for a Whip but never got it. Didn't get dealt a point of damage this game.
-4 Satyr, -2 A-Fire
+4 Reckoner +2 Instinct
Game 2: He got some early Communes in, took out some Smiters but eventually he found his Whip and animated an Adephage. No thank you, Game 3.
-2 Reckoner +2 Mortars (I didn't want to cut anything else for Mortars but I wanted them in here. Kept Cacklers since I was on the play and needed to get in early damage.)
Game 3: Grinded things out in this game. Took out a Smiter by blocking with a Zealot and shocking it before regular damage. Traded a Strike+Shock for an Obzedat with the trigger on the stack. Prayed he coudn't find a Whip. He dropped a Shadowborn Demon with not enough creatures in the GY, so it died next turn. He dropped another one, when I
finally drew my 4th land and Instinct'd it for the win.
1-0 (2-1)
Match 2: UW Control
I went in thinking this would be relatively easy. I was wrong. I do love the control matchup though, it's so much fun. Honestly.
Game 1: I lost to a resolved Elspeth fairly early on. All I remember.
-2 Fire +2 Hammer
Game 2: Managed to keep up pressure and not overextend. Knew he didn't have Revelation the way he was playing so I ignored his Jace and swung at him. Misplayed by dropping a YP instead of animating a token, also forgot to swing with a 1/1 after he -2'd Jace. He eventually ended up having to block a creature of mine with a Mutavault, and Last Breath'd it to stay alive. It didn't work out.
Game 3: Hooo boy. I managed to fuck up by dropping two Satyrs and getting them Sphered. The game dragged on until he tapped out, where I dropped Chandra. Tried racing him by +1-ing to threaten an ult, since he already laid down 3 D-Spheres by that point (Satyrs, Hammer, and
one other creature). Sadly he resolved an Elspeth, and I couldn't keep all the damage from the tokens off her. He ulted Jace, Sphered my Chandra, grabbed a Chandra from my deck, ulted Elspeth the next turn, swung in,Charmed for lifelink and dealt 18 to me. Went to 2. He was at 23. I tried swinging at my own Chandra to kill it. He casted Last Breath. :<
1-1 (3-3)
Match 3: Mono Red (AIR?)
Went against a chick playing Mono Red. Saw Dynacharge game 1 but it was more like a regular RDW list otherwise.
Game 1: Dropped Chandra on turn 4 and she did all the work for me.
SB: -8 one drops, -2 A-Fires, +4 Reckoner +4 Mortar, +2 Eruption (wanted to run some number of Eruption, didn't know what to cut for a third so I ran it like this. maybe coulda run one less mortar)
Game 2: Got Anger of the Gods dropped on me three times. It took out one of her own Reckoners once. Interesting sideboard choice... Just kept chucking creatures at her or taking out hers (Mortared a Reckoner,
she dealt 4 to my face when I was at 14 instead of taking out one of my creatures. Ok.). Got her to 11 with five power on board and two mana open EOT. Magma Jet, scry into Magma Jet, game.
2-1 (5-3)
Match 4: GR Midrange
Same GR deck that I lost to last week. This time I was a lot more confident in my play.
Game 1: Kept him off his mana dorks. He dropped a Polukranos that I managed to burn out. Easy match.
SB: -4 Satyr, -4 Cackler, -2 A-Fires, -1 Shock, +4 Reckoner, +3 Eruption, +2 Mortars, +2 Instinct (I kinda forgot what I boarded here tbh.)
Game 2: Kept up pressure with an early YP and tokens. Traded it and a Jet for a Scooze that could have pumped to a 4/4 and stared down an Ember Swallower for a few turns while he flooded out. Kept up pressure with a Reckoner. He did not Monstrous it on his last turn. Not that it would have helped; I had the Instinct in hand and enough mana to win next turn.
3-1 (7-3)
Match 5: BW Midrange
nDifferent deck this time. I could still possibly make top 8 with a win here.
Game 1: Curved out before he dropped a creature. Cackles, Zealot, Phoenix, burn burn burn.
SB: -4 Satyr, -2 A-Fires, +4 Reckoner, +2 Mortars (didn't write it down again)
Game 2: Lost to a big Nighthowler. I know, right? It hurts when it's on an Obzedat and swinging in for 6 and you lack chumpers.
Probably could have sided the Satyrs back in for curve-out potential, but didn't. I think I threw in Instinct this time.
Game 3: Took him to 8 when he dropped Obz (10). Got him down to 5, he went back up to 7. Bestowed a 3/3 Nighthowler, swung in bringing me from 16 to 8 and exiled EOT. I had a Magma Jet he knew I had, and another one I drew the turn before. Phoenix and Reckoner on board, he has two black mana up and I know he's playing Pharika's Cure. I didn't want to waste Scry potential when I could potentially burn him out, so I Jetted him (to 5, sent two Mountains bottom) twice (to 3, keeping Phoenix on top
sending Cackles to bottom). Topdecked Phoenix. Dropped him. Swung with the team, because I didn't want him to have a removal spell this turn and one for next turn and win (Obz ETB and swing brings me to 1, plus he has the 3/3 Howler on field). I think this is the right play. It wasn't. He blocked my Reckoner, Devour Flesh'd his own guy to bring him to 6, back down to 2, then Bestowed another 'howler on the Obz that blinked in. Ugh.
3-2 (8-5)
All in all, I like the way the deck performed this week. I think I'm going to run PyroBoros tomorrow night, as I picked up the cards anyway, at another game store nearby that does free entry. I could use some new decks to play against instead of the same field each week, too. And I hear there's more red decks at that store, which I'm fine against.
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