Date: Sun, 07 Sep 1997 23:18:02 -0400 From: David DeMichele To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Subject: Chicago PTQ: Atlanta As I promised in my report on Orlando, here's some of what went down in Atlanta. Hal and I left Tallahasse about 4:45 in the morning figuring we should get there by 9:30, but as we were in southern Georgia on I-75 I realized we needed to speed up somewhat to get there in time. We were fine the whole way until we had just entered Atlanta and it was 9:50, then a cop gave me a speeding ticket. We actually got there at about 10:10 but was able to register because there was still a line of people waiting, I ended up 155 out of 159 people. Some recognizable people that were there was George Baxter, who missed the top 8 because he ran out of time in his last match against Rich from Team Stupid, they were both playing the same blue deck basically with Ophidians, Jellyfish, Waterspout, Biskelion, and Illusionist. If I were to sum up the whole PTQ in one word it would be BLUE. It was everywhere, 5 of the 8 people I played were using blue. Kyle Bigos, a good friend from Tallahassee, 2nd in nationals was there, he just came to watch and play booster draft, Pete Leiher was there and made the top 8, Wai Cheng, who was num 1 seed going into the top 8. By the way I apologize to Kelsey McNair(think I spelled it right this time)for harrassing him about his in-depth note taking after each round and for spelling his name wrong in my last report, and I'm pretty sure you'll read this so I'll get my Honorable Passages back from you someday. Paul Sligh was also there using a red sligh mirv-light deck that didn't work to well I heard as he was sitting next to Hal in the loser bracket one round. Again I was playing an ErTog deck, but a stronger version than the one I used in Orlando. In playtesting it beat blue almost every time and never died to Aether Flash. My friend Hal again played his black/blue deck but didn't fare to well as he ended up w/ his worst finish ever at 3-3-0. O.K. onto my games if anybody is actually going to read them. Again I didn't really take notes but I did write down some opponent names and a little bit other info. At least one game per large tourney I sit at the head table and continued my streak by starting here but only for one round and only got back up to table 2. Round 1 - Joseph Pannell, G/U Game 1: He started of by laying Wall of Roots and some River Boas and was smacking me around until I drew a bunch of Shadow Guildmages, Man 'o War, and Nekrataals, and eventually won after a long game. Game 2: I believe I was sort of mana screwed and died pretty easily while holding 2 Nekrataals I was unable to cast. Game 3: We only had about 10 minutes left for this match and neither of us seemed like we wanted to play fast and make mistakes, no one really got the upper hand and we ran out of time. Match: 0-0-1 Games: 1-1-1 An odd start to begin with, but better than a loss. Round 2: ?, U/W Game 1: The next 3 rounds of blue decks sort of meld together so forgive my lack of detail. My opening hand had 6 land and 1 creature and I drew about another 5 land. I lost Game 2: Put in City of Solitudes but never saw them, the deck played normally and got quick creauture beat down and won. Game 3: Again came very close to time but I forgot to pay for a Barrow Ghoul on turn 3 that would've won me the game, never saw a City and couldn't get off a Jellyfish or Nekrataal to stop a Waterspout and again drew alot of land, about 10 of 22. Match: 0-1-1 Games: 2-3-1 Hoping to win 6 in a row for the top 8 now. Round 3 - Joey Allagas, U/W Game 1: Got quick creature beat-down and my oppnent didn't even damage me. Game 2: I end up using up a Gemstone and then draw a City but never get to cast it and die to a crapload of counters and other stuff. Game 3: I get out a quick city after he man o' wars one of my creatures and then half of his deck is useless as he sided out disenchants. I win with the usual style. Match: 1-1-1 Games: 4-4-1 A very unusaul start but I can still make top 8. Round 4 - Ajai Saini, U Game 1: 1st turn Guildmage, 2nd trun Askari, 3rd turn Guildmage and Askari, 4th turn, Barrow Ghoul and Skulking Ghost = beatdown. Game 2: Again for the strangest reason I draw lots of land and can't put up a vary serious threat and loose to Illusionists and other blue fun. Game 3: By this time I am getting very pissed that when all I need to do is just draw one more creature in the next 3 turns for a killing blow and instead draw 3 lands and lose. Match: 1-2-1 Games: 5-6-1 Technically I'm out of the final but I play more to ease the burden on my DCI pts. and end up w/ a great comeback. Round 5 - ?, R/W Game 1: A very wierd Aether Flash Deck with Freewind Falcon, Wildfires, Ekundu Cyclops, and that big red guy that doesn't die to multiple damage. At the begining I overrun him with Nekrataals and Man o' War but he comes back, eventually I'm at 7 w/ 2 Guildmages and he's at 6. It takes me 2 turns and 6 life but I kill him while chump blocking his big guys and all he has in his hand is an Aether Flash. Game 2: I kill him very easily with 2 Man o' Wars and a guildmage and a Nekrataal and 2 Mind Harnesses taking his big boys when I let them live. Match: 2-2-1 Games: 7-6-1 Round 6 - Matt Massutto, G/R Game 1: I know him from Tampa and we're friends so we play very casually joking around alot. He plays Karoo Meerkat and Quiron Ranger and I play a Ghost, he targets it I play a Barrow Ghoul then a Guildmage then an Askari then a Nekrataal and overun him with him having a hand of land. Game 2: I draw 2 swamps in the begining and start to die, then I draw alot of land but don't play the 2 islands in my hand bacause of Boas. I hold on for a while but he kills me after I had to get rid of 4 green creatures w/ Reign of Terror. Game 3: I basicallly overrun him with alot of blue creatures and manage to cast about 6 of them w/ out laying an island and also a few Nekrataals and 2 Mind Harnesses. Match: 3-2-1 Games: 9-7-1 I'm doing well so I keep playing. Round 7 - ?, U Game 1: I draw the usual Ertog beatdown and pump out creatures to fast for him to counter. Easy win Game2: For what seems like the tenth time this tourney I get 6 lands and 1 creature on the draw. Later on, I have one counter left on a Gemstone which I was going to use for a City after I get him to counter a Nekrataal on his Waterspout, but he Power Sinks it which I didn't expect and never draw another multi-land, eventually lose to Watersapout, etc. Game 3: I get a City out in the middle of the game which he was totally unprepared for and can't use those damned Illsionists and a good deal of his deck, and I coast to creature beatdown, using reaccuring Nekrataal. Match: 4-2-1 Games: 11-8-1 Revenge against blue for my rd. 4 loss. Round 8 - Daniel Mondragon, G/R Game 1: I get a Guildmage out first to handle his Boas and Guildmages and it doesn't take to much to win after he used up his hand and my Nekrataals took care of his Maro, etc. Game 2: Hey, more mana problems, luckily its only the 2nd time this tourney that I drew to few, 1 to few to be exact. You can't Nekrataal a 6/6 Maro w/ 3 lands, all you can do is put out a chump blocker every turn. Game 3: Same as game one except he get Elephant Grass out, but I pay to attack w/ my Cloud Elementals and he eventually gets rid of all my creatures except an Ertai's and he has no creatures and at 2 life, he concedes. Match: 5-2-1 Games: 13-9-1 Technically I did better than I did at Orlando(5-3), but just my luck that I miss out on top 8 by drawing too many land in Rd. 4 or not paying for the Barrow Ghoul in Rd. 2. One of these days I'll stop placing in the teens and make it, so I'll just keep on working at it. For all those interested here's my deck: 4 Barrow Ghouls 2 Circling Vultures 4 Fallen Askari 4 Skulking Ghost 2 Necratog 3 Nekrataal 4 Shadow Guildmage 4 Cloud Elemental 4 Ertai's Familiar 4 Man o' War 1 Kaervik's Torch 2 Song of Blood 2 Bad River 4 Gemstone Mine 4 Island 10 Swamp 2 Undiscovered Paradise Sbd: 2 Bubble Matrix 1 Forsaken Wastes 2 Reign of Terror 2 Mind Harness 2 City of Solitude 2 Elephant Grass 2 Tranquil Domain 2 Disenchant For all those out there still trying to qualify do what you will with the deck if you want to use it. If you feel you can outrace other black decks I suggest replacing the Elephant Grass w/ Dark Banishing for the blue and green decks, as you can see above I didn't run into black but in Orlando I ran into 3 of them. Till next time, Hasta la Vista.