From: Rusifur@aol.com Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 03:02:59 -0400 (EDT) To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Subject: PTQ StLouis(sorta) 8/30 I read an incomplete report on the Dojo, so I thought I'd post a more well-rounded version. We piled into the Tedmobile at 7 PM Memphis time. In attendance we had Ted Shroyer (Lord Baldie), Daniel Einspinger (Deck, I dont need no stinkin...), Mattie Casper (Equinox Guru), and yours truly: The Lord High Scrub. All should have gone well but we had to roll into Capt. Deez and shoulder the pensioners out of the way for some well greased grub ( I _HATE_ the South). Halfway through my fish-like-substance Mattie starts talking about Permanent Game-Depth Perception. When he said "So, the land is animated, it has weakness, vampirisim, and equinox on it, and you have another creature in play. Name a spell it can't counter." I had to zone out. I'm a level one and all and I could prossibly get my level 2 but this stuff makes Wiley sweat. I started thinking about my deck. I should have been thinking crypt rat. I'd have qualified if there were 2 in the sideboard. I'll leave out the particulars (theres still a coupla weeks left) but I was running crack-smoking-tog. It was my version of a Cannuk-Ertaitog deck, but a LOT faster. I'll post it when the dance is done. 6 hours later we roll into Collinsville IL. I was busy trying to remember what my knees feel like. Ted and I sit down to test while Mattie and Mr E build their decks (not joking, E hadn't even thought through one yet). Ted and I crush alternately, until were both quite sure that our decks are a guess vs. each other. Mattie plays semi-big er...Large blue. Mr E gets together a counter burn deck. With some playtesting for sideboard they would've done much better. But then, they didn't know they were going till friday night. Get up the next morning and swagger into the scrubpin..er..tournament. The registration forms were DUMM, it took me 15 minutes to fill the thing out, I guess they couldn't find a kinkos to get some normal sheets. I began to sweat the judging. Do some pregame talk with the other weasles in the hatchery. Its all about everyone trying to sound like team Dallas. Hey girls, saying "strong" and "all-about" dosen't turn the dice. Some highlights follow. Round one. This deck is immune to mana screw. Dosent happen. Never Happens. Guess what. 2 Games. Cry with me. LHS 0-1, everybody else 1-0, doh, lettin down the boyz. Round two. Played against the guy Mattie beat 1st round. Poor child had to experience the Memphis-flavour- beatdown. Again. Nice guy, good player, intresting deck idea. The song was just toooo quick. Lord High Scrub 1-1 Boyz 2x 2-0, 1x 1-1 Round three. Something weird, never quite saw it. Boom. LHS 2-1, Mattie & Ted 3-0, Daniel 2-1 Not Weak. Round four. Emperial Armour, Snake Basket, Prosperity, opps I'm dead. Nice guy though, not a BAD idea, just too slow. He was local, just in for fun. LHS 3-1 , Mattie 4-0, Ted 3-1, Daniel 2-2 but Not out, math said 1 maybe 2 5&2's would advance. Round five. Red-Tog, no ertais, no bouncys. I won. Deck is broken. LHS 4-1, Mattie 4-1, Ted 4-1, Daniel 3-2 Round six. White weenie. Don't ask me, I dont know either. I'f I'd been able to ratbomb once in either game It wouldve been over. It was really insulting to loose to a deck so poorly played, weak vs red, 'poise, and blue, and have to explain flanking's timing too. Both games he was dead next round, no questions about it. Sigh. LHS 4-2, Mattie 5-1, Ted 5-1, Daniel 4-2 Round seven. Some guy, red green rogue elephant. Somehow managed to lose the first game. Slaughtered the next two. Mr E had to play the bleach-boy and lost to him two through double mana screw (untuned deck 'n all). Now, If Id beaten the monoscrub guy, I'd have played Daniel, in testing after swiss we determined that the crack-tog ate him alive. I'd have been in. Thats why Im the Lord High Scrub of Memphis. Mattie goes in 4th, Ted has the strongest tie-breaker and goes in 8th. Mattie and Ted end up on the same side of the bracket. Mattie dominates. Ted dominates. Memphis dominates. Mono white boy was on the other side of the bracket and playing against the other scrubs, I was salavating to be in that seat. Mattie and Ted play it out in the semis and ted advances on a GOD draw, 3 stupors vs. monoblue, is that good? Ted creams the guy in the finals and gets both envelopes. Saturday were going to take the short trip and bend Nashville over for their whole 1 slot-dinky-ptq. Most of the beatdown crew will stay resident though for an extended tourney with a box 'o Italian Legends as 1st prize. 9017523904 for details. Intersting notes. NO deck checks. Notta one. The judging was good but this was inexcuseable and unaccecptable. The other finalinst ate a warning (not a DQ) in the semi's for his SNOW-COVERED Mountain. Wonder what else was floating around in swiss. 5 Fireblasts maybe? or Abeyances? Team barefoot. A collection of trash talking kiddies with no idea how their decks or shoe laces worked. Thier leader was amiable and intelligent, but had obviously built everyones decks. I kept expecting the ertais to pay to stay in. (Don't laugh , I've seen it done. Hey kids, download it on thursday so you can playtest it first.) Wanna see someone cry? When going for your beads to represent your 15 vs 0 stairwell tokens, stop and consider. Then, use mana crypts instead. I shouldve been called for taunting, it was rudely distracting. It was deeply Pimp. The Tourney Organizer was GOOD, very professonal. Overall, not a bad show. Total Memphis Swiss 20-8-1. See ya in the sealed-luck PTQ circut. The Lord High Scrub