Subject: Tournament Report-Alaska State Championships Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 00:26:14 -0900 From: Brian Eddy To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Well, I thought that I would write up a tournament report for two reasons. The first is because I was playing a very new deck, and the second is that many people feel this deck is broken. Well, on to the report. I had been preparing for the State Championships up here for about a month, and after much playtesting, chose to play the Academy deck. I thought that it would be the best because it had a great element of surprise, and it proved to be an all around good deck. Here is what I played: "The Academy" BLUE 4 Windfall 4 Stroke of Genius 4 Time Spiral 4 Power Sink 3 Intuition 2 Twiddle 3 Mind over Matter 1 Rescind 2 Brainstorm ARTIFACT 4 ManaVault 4 Lotus Petal 4 Mox Diamond 1 Scroll Rack LAND 3 City of Brass 2 Blasted Landscape 4 Tolarian Academy 7 Island 4 Wasteland SIDEBOARD BLUE 2 Rescind 2 Twiddle 2 Tidal Warrior 3 Hydroblast RED 4 Pyroblast 1 Fireball WHITE 1 Light of Day (Please email me of you have questions/comments on the deck) RND 1- Caleb Kelly playing some crazy Ankh of Mishra/Armageddon Deck Well, Caleb is one of my playtesting buddies, and he was throwing a fit that he had to play me. We both new that my deck beat his, but we duked it out... Game 1- I get early artifacts, and intuition for Academy at the end of his turn. I play the academy and discover I need one more turn. I tell him to go. On his turn, he geddons. Damn. Well, with 3 Academies in the graveyard, I could have problems. Luckily, I have a spiral in my hand, and the mana to use it. After the spiral, I had an academy in hand, played mind over matter, discarded a bunch, windfalled, stroke myself (!) and stroke him (!) for around 150 with a powersink in hand. Game 2- Pretty short. I get early artifacts, academy, twister. Stroke for 200 by the 3rd turn. Didn't sideboard anything in. RND 2-Mikael James playing White Weenie with red splashed for Shock and Incinerate. Game 1- I get a bad draw, but decide to play it out. I figured I would draw the 1 land I needed in at least 4 Turns. Of course I didn't. I lose. Game 2- I play early artifacts, spiral, etc. I win on the 2nd turn. Game 3-I had sideboarded in hydroblasts for the pyroblasts that never came. I couldn't find the right cards to save my life. I lose to early beat down by white knights and en-cors. RND 3- I can't remember his name!!! That's what I get for putting off writing this. I know he was playing R/W weenie though. Game 1- He has never seen this deck before. I go off on 3rd turn with no disruption from him whatsoever. Stroke for 300. Game 2-Side in the hydroblasts for the pyroblasts that never come. The worst thing he does to me this game is detonate (is that in 5th edition?) a mox diamond. Ahh well...I stroke him for 180 or so on the 4th turn. He goes off mumbling something about how my deck is crazy... RND 4- Rex Plunkett playing some green/blue Funkiness. We decide on an intentional draw. Well, so I barely make it as #8 seed in the final eight. QUARTERFINALS-Mikael James again. Game 1-I go off on 3rd turn with no disruption on his part, except a disenchant thrown at my scroll rack. Stroke for 300 anyone? Game 2- I am setting up kind of slow, and he plays a null brooch (!?). I'm thinking of some way to get around that, and look down at my hand. Damn twiddle is good! During his discard phase, he miraculously lets me twiddle his null brooch (sarcasm intended). I go off and stroke him for 150+. SEMIFINALS-Danyel James playing some crazy 4 color sligh. Game 1-I get a couple shocks thrown at me, and a goblin beat down. He disenchants a mana vault, which just delays the inevitable for a turn. Stroke for 150ish. Game 2- Side in my hydroblasts for the pyroblasts that never come...*sigh*... I go off fairly early (3rd turnish) and stroke for 200 or so. FINALS-Jeff Moeller playing Suicide Black with 4 Smokestacks. (Go to http://www.p2software.com/~jmoeller/states.html to see his rant about me and my academy deck) Game 1- He goes something like: Ritual, zombie, zombie, unholy strength. I play a land, and a couple artifacts. He plays another zombie and beats me down. I play another land, and a couple more artifacts. He plays a zombie, attack me for 10. I go, play academy, yadda, yadda, yadda...can't find the last stroke/spiral/windfall I need!! I go nutty with the scroll rack, and finally get the card I need. Stroke for 150 anyone? Game 2- I side in 2 twiddles and a light of day. Well, I draw my cards, and he draws his cards. He is looking pretty happy, and showing off a supposedly good hand to everyone BUT me. I look down at my hand and see no land. Damn. I paris. Draw 6, and still see no land. I go down to 5. I see 1 land. A wasteland. Great!!!. He goes first, playing a flesh reaver and a zombie. I go, play a wasteland and a mana vault. He goes and plays an unholy strength on his zombie. Attack for a bunch. Ouch! I go, play an island, and another artifact. He goes, another zombie and attacks. I twiddle one, and still take a bunch of damage. Ouch! I go, draw an academy, play it, Time spiral, yadda, yadda, yadda....stroke for 200ish. So, I win the Alaska State Championships. I must say that there wasn't a lot of finely tuned decks, or a bunch of people, but hey, I still have the bragging rights. Ahhh well, until next time. -Brian Eddy -- ICQ UIN: 1152716 I hope to live forever...so far, so good...