Subject: Ky State Championships Date: Mon, 2 Nov 1998 15:31:42 -0800 (PST) From: Clayton Edwards To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Greetings, I figured since I participated in the first state championships weekend that I would send in a report on how it went. It was Kentucky Championship, held in Louisville area with 64 people attending for the new type 2 (tempest block, urza, and 5th). As for this report, remember it is subjective, my opinion on things and if you may not agree with me on some things, well, it's my opinion. Oh yeah, it's probably going be fairly long also, so I'll just post the deck I played now for those just looking for decks to play against/play or whatever. Deck: 3 Scavenger folk 3 Elvish Lyrists 3 Llanowar Elves 3 Elvish Archers 4 Priest of Titania 3 Cradle Guard 1 Mirri, Cat Warrior (very underrated card and got a few reactions out of opponets) 2 Spike Weaver 3 Argothian Wurm 1 Child of Gaia 4 Cursed Scroll 4 Winter's Grasp 1 Abundance 2 Mishra's Helix 1 Overrun 2 Hurricane 2 Gaea's Cradle 4 Wasteland 15 Forests SB: 1 Scavenger Folk 1 Elvish Lyrist 1 Spreading Algae (never used but want 2 in after seeing some of the decks there) 1 Spike Weaver 1 Abundance 2 Tranquility 2 Sandstorm 2 Lifeforce 2 Tsunami 2 Sphere of Resistance Now, I wonder how many of you are going, it's green... It did well and I would of been in top 8 if my deck had not decided it was going to quit on me or if I would of mulliganed like I should of (but my deck had been doing perfect that whole day, and well, I do believe in it) I went 4-2 with it and it is very respectable vs. most of the other decks. I've been playing this deck for about a week to a week and a half now and it is a lot better that people think green can be. I wasn't sure if I wanted to play it or the tolarian blue deck i'd put together, but I play tested vs. each other and I never got good draws with the blue, and the green normally had the answers every time. Just once or twice did the green lose. And when I played the green in a type 2 with the blue, made to finals and lost to the tolarian blue (someone else was playing) because I reminded him of something or else I"d of beat him in the finals. There are only 2-3 cards i'd change now after playing it 12 matches, but not sure to what yet. Well, the night before i definitely decide to play the green deck when my roommie had decided he liked the blue deck. And it liked him a lot also. come morning, get up and he decides he's not going, to early in the morning. His choice. So I drive up there, get there in about an hour and a half (from lexington area) and sign up. Meet some buddies there from somerset who had went up the night before. They looked like hell (partied the night before at the hotel it was held at) but it was still great to see em there. I get signed up, than I just sit and listen to people talking about tolarian blue and all that. Another guy i know shows up and signs up and we sit and talk for awhile, than the tournament starts First Round (of 6) Vs. Chris Connors Playing r/g land d with some other stuff This was a bad matchup for him as you'll see Game 1 He goes first and plays a first turn vineyard, I look at my hand and drop to llanowar and a forest out, He puts another land out and something else using all his mana. Second turn I go Gaea's cradle, use 2 elves and floating mana to play argothian wurm, he lets it stay in play (only 2 lands in play), tap the cradle and play argothian wurm #2, You can imagine where it went from there after I wasted his city of brass next turn Game 2 Early elves, cradle guard, and a wasteland followed by him sacing a land to the wurm this time spell quick demise for him. 1-0 2-0 Round 2 Vs. Lenard Richardson (and his cool hat) Playing Nice awakening with birds and a couple other things. Side note first, Lenard is a really good player from everything i've seen of him and his reports. I've played him once before in sealed and well, it was not a pretty site as to what he did to me. But I always like playing against good competition and from talking with him and such during the game and afterwards, my opinion of him changed dramatically, I used to be a bit neutral to curious about him, but to me he is a real good guy who I hope I get to play more often and at least talk with some more. Game 1 I get an early 1 drop creatures, but he has a wall of blossoms out. Than I get a cradle guard out (and hence my choice of them over spike feeders, they go through walls) followed shortly by Mirri (which got a look from my opponet), but she goes around wall of blossoms also, due to cradle guard and some of his ping lands, I get him down to 2 before he is able to stabilize and keep from getting finished off, but I did have 2 scrolls on the board and just 2 cards in hand. I couldn't activate both scrolls, but I think we went through scroll action with capsize thrown in so we were constantly trying 2 or 3 cards. Never hit him with the scroll. Eventually i get up to 5 creatures with a gaea's cradle out and due to him capsizing land I was able to cast a overrun. I still did not finish him, but eliminated the tradewind and walls. If i'm right, if he'd ever drawn a fog machine, I'd of not been able to finish him next turn, but he didn't. By the way, everything in there is exact details but correct. game 2 I get some early attacks in with little creatures and than use scroll to get him down to 8 before he gets awakening and capsize and perpetual fog machine to stop creatures and eliminate scroll. I keep playing game to see some of his deck plus also I have hurricane which can finish him off if i draw it (he'd not seen yet) and he doesn't have counter (which is unlikely but still worth trying). He eventually starts on the land and shortly after I concede. I'd thought about taking my time with this game, since we were short on time due to long games, but I figured not fair and the way the first two games go, as long as he did not have god draw, it would time out anyways, tho I think he would of had time to beat me. Game 3 He goes first turn bird, I get an elf of sorts, second turn refecting pool, I have wastelands. He stalls out at three mana sources, where I get to 3 creatures (one priest of titania) and cradle, I top deck an overrun and come over for 16 while he is at 16, the bird takes one for the team and that is game after next turn. Afterwards, I found out he had 2 spikeweavers in hand and that the wasteland saved me. He got a bit unlucky on draws and I had a little bit of luck working for me. 2-0 4-1 Round 3 Vs. John Atha playing Goblin/sligh burn Game 1 I am able to keep killing his land, but he got a gobline lackey out that kept popping out goblins, when I finally draw a creature to stop that, he kills the elf I would of used to play it (1 forest and 2 wastelands with elf power for the Land D). He sonic bursts me down some and than I get finished because I could not draw second forest for the spike weaver, argothian wurm (only had like 2 lands which I don't think he would of saced) or cradle guard. Game 2 Okk and ball lightnings are bad things. Tho, 5 land in a row when a big creature would of helped is a bad thing. I go down to goblins with the fire god being stopped by Elvish archers. Nothing against my opponet cause he did have a good deck, if I don't hit that mana clump like I did, I think we play third game. This deck does not have as much trouble vs. red as it played like. 2-1 4-3 Round 4 Vs. Scott Owen playing suicide black This guy came with someone I knew, and when I mentioned draw to him like we talked about, he misunderstood me and decided to play. I personally think this is a very bad match up for me. Game 1 He gets only 2 mana and a second turn land D with elf kept him slowed down a little bit. Eventually get the scroll to deal with shadows and than fat hits the board (lyrist key on taking out unholy strength on first striker) and a spike weaver never hurts Game 2 I side in 8 cards and he gets first turn pump night and duress. I lose the sandstorm (the card I wanted). It was the only card he could take tho. I get fat on the board and keep fearing perish, but he only has 3 land and no cards in hand, so I cast the wurms hoping he'll sac land. Eventually I win with the fat. Turns out he didn't have perish because the guy who built his deck geared it more to beat white weeneie and the Tolarian blue. He didn't expect green (lucky for me) 3-1 6-3 Round 5 Vs. Shaun Cobble playing Green with burn and geddon game 1 Selective land destruction on his red sources of mana and a cradle guard finish things quickly, he was a bit hosed on mana even without the Land D. Game 2 He gets second turn acridian, but I got lucky with second turn Land D on him and eventually get out a cradle guard and scroll for his bird. He has a albino troll out slowing down the bleeding, but he didn't get mana again thanks to a little bit of help. Eventually he is low enough I can just swarm with my 4 1/1's and cradle guard. 4-1 8-3 Round 6 Vs. Karl Lindahl playing U/W control stuff He can't afford to draw due to tie breakers, right choice on his part also, I had very high tie breakers. game 1 Early wasteland and winter's grasp on his blue means early defeat when argothian wurm shows up. very quick game Game 2 and 3 I should of mulliganed both these games, tho game 2 wasn't as bad as I'm going to make it sound. I had 2 land in hand in both and whenever i've played this deck (plus earlier today) I drew into the third land or an elf in first 2 draws without losing a land play. I had land d for him also on each. My deck let me down and I never got over 2 land before capsize action started. I lose because of mana hose, and although I know my opponet had a good deck, I still think I beat it if I hit third land by turn 4 (oh yeah, had 2 tsunami in hand in game 3 and would of had a chance to cast it on a turn if i'd drawn land or elf). I hope he did well, but after first game, I'm pretty sure my deck was just a bit too quick for him with the land D slowing him down. Ending stats 4-2 9-5 If my deck doesn't decide to quit on me in eithe rmatch I lost, i'm 5-1 with green, go figure, but it's part of game. I know I sound like I"m complaining, but more just to let people to know that there isn't as much match up problems with it as one would think. Btw, it also deals with academy real well, which I mentioned above but just want to reiterate in case people ask how's it handle it. Drive home angry at myself for not going to paris, but alas, part of the game. Have waffle house, kick back and relax. Props: My Third opponets lady friend, a pretty girl who seemed like a good luck charm at most times except this game (she was around against other opponets due to other matches nearby) Lenard richardson for being himself and his cool hat, a very good player I hope to run into again and hopefully talk more with. Team Primate for being themselves and showing up My deck for showing it works well Team Andon for a well run tournament Slops The kid that played Richardson round 5 when he withdrew because he wasn't feeling well. True he got a lobotomy on Lenard and got his tradewinds, but talking bad on him and thinking he withdrew because of that was wrong and talking bad like that after he was gone. His deck was designed to beat death, be happy he conceded The kid I saw trading a time spiral and Stroke to a kid and than saying this other guy offered me this instead. Really bad like that, I'm glad the guy trading with him said 'well go take the other, it's not worth that to me'. He's lucky I didn't go tell the other guy that stuff the kid was playing Me for wrong mulligan choices and not hanging around after I was beat to cheer on the guy I knew who was in top 8 playing green, Sorry aobut that if your reading this, I was just mad at myself for letting that game slip away. That's about it, any comments flames, quesitons welcome, just direct em at me Clayton Edwards -cedwards5@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com