Subject: TOURNEY RESULTS (KS state Championship Semi-Finalist) Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 21:34:52 EST From: Befree4me@aol.com To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Hello everyone..I just wanted to share my experience at the Kansas State Championships. I expected (as probably everyone else) that Academy decks would have their day..and it seemed they did even though I gave them problems. I played a Black Weenie deck with a splash of control (figuring a good first or second turn Duress then Lobotomy would finish them..) Match 1: Scott Simmons playing Academy (2-0-0) Duress followed by Spinal Grafted Flesh Reaver rocked... Match 2: Tony Johnson playing Suicide Black (2-0-0) His Hatred was useless against my superior beatdown (Reavers/Skirges..) Second game he stuck with a hand that drew only 1 Wasteland and 0 Swamps, because if he would have drawn a swamp he could've laid his whole hand out...tough luck. Match 3: Jeremiah Duncan playing Black Weenie (2-0-0) Jeremiah might have won 1 game had he not forgotten to pay one life for his carnophage before he drew his card. My Strengthed/Grafted Sarcomancy token finished him off... Match 4: Alex Smith playing Academy (we drew) We drew which looking back was probably a mistake...i should have played him right then and there (even for a loss) We will meet again... Match 5: Jim Dowell (last year's champion) playing Academy (2-0-0) Same as match 1. Wasteland/Duress/Big Fat Black beatdown.. I go into the top 8 being number 1.. Match 6: (can't remember name) playing White Weenie (2-1-0) First game he locks me up with Pariah on Encore with Soltari Monk in play... Second game I get some good Gloom out on turn 1, followed by another at turn 3. Over in just minutes... Third game, I mulligan down to 5 cards (going first!) looking for a Gloom. I decide to play what I have. I draw and lay a Gloom on turn 3, after a turn 2 lobotomy for his Soltari Monks. This game was close (he had a ROP black out) but he lost from my Reaver and Skittering Skirge with me at 2 life... Match 7: Alex Smith (of course playing Academy) (0-2-0) I must admit, after seeing the academy decks at the tourney, I think the one with the Voltaic Key is much better than the version with the Claws of Gix. He goes first, laying an Academy and several artifacts, leaving him with one card... I Wasteland his Academy, and Duress him, all he has is another Academy! I play Skittering Skirge. He goes off after drawing Time Spiral, game over. Second turn I side in Spheres of Resistance and Planar Void. I go first, play land and Mox diamond then Skirge. He lays his whole hand except one card. I go, Dark Ritual, Lobotomy. He responds by casting his Stroke on himself for 12 cards (some people thought he should have stroked for 0, but then he might have lost if he didn't draw anything good for a couple of turns) luck has it he draws another stroek, so I pull all of them from the game. Now, at this point I thought I would have the game, but then I couldn't draw any more mana sources and he got me in Capsize lock and basically would have decked me, if it weren't for that Sarcomancy enchantment that was killing me slowly. He wins and goes on to lose against Jim Dowell and his Academy deck. I have to be satisfied with making it to the semi-finals, especially since I didn't really get to playtest my deck against other people or Academy decks before the tourney. I did return the next day to place 2nd in the Sealed Deck championships though. I think Black is the best thing to play against Academy, especially if you can get some sideboard cards into play, which I couldn't. That's the breaks. Anyways, here's my deck. The Spinal Grafts and Skittering Skirges give me an edge against other Black decks. 4 Duress 4 Dark Ritual 3 Lobotomy 3 Mox Diamond 4 Skittering Skirge 2 Flesh Reaver 4 Dauthi Horror 4 Sarcomancy 2 Black Knight 2 Carnophage 4 Unholy Strength 3 Spinal Graft 2 Diabolic Edict 1 Underground River 3 Wasteland 4 Rootwater Depths 11 Swamps Sideboard: 3 Sphere of Resistance 3 Gloom 1 Planar Void (would put more in sideboard) 3 Winter Orb 2 Perish 3 Chill send any comments, deck ideas, cash or unwanted Magic cards to: Robert Macke befree4me@aol.com