Subject: ProsBloom won PTQ Chicago, Oslo 31.8. Date: 16 Sep 1997 17:43:32 +0200 From: thomasre@ifi.uio.no (Thomas Refsdal) Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy I had been playtesting quit a lot the last weeks but could not decide what to play. In the Pro Tour Paris i played Pros Bloom as many other did. After Squantred Resources was banned everyone here in Norway thought it would be the end of Pros Bloom. I did build some different versions without Squantred resources and playtestet them a bit. But first when i lost to an opponent who killed me with three Veterane Explorer in play i made the changes which in my oppinion made Pros Bloom playable in MiViLight. I added four Veterane Explorer. Knowing that there would be several ErAtog and mono black decks i chose to play it because if the Prosbloom deck beats something it is ErAtog and Mono Black. Here is the deck. 4 Prosperity 4 Cadaverous Bloom 4 Infernal Contract 4 Vampiric Tutor 4 Wall of Roots 4 Veteran Explorer 2 Well of Knowledge 2 Impulse 1 Early Harvest 3 Emerald Charm 2 Power Sink 2 City of Sollitude 2 Drain Lives 4 Islands 6 Swamps 8 Forests 1 Bad River 4 Gemstone Mines Sideboard: 1 City of Sollitude (should have been two) 2 Early harvest 1 Emerald Charm 2 Man O war 2 Memory Lapse 1 Forest1 Bad River 4 Elephant Grass 1 Impulse About 50 players were playing and several of the norvegians had worlds and Pro Tour experiance. 5 had come from sweden trying to qualify. Round 1: Thomas Buffon mono black 1. I draw two lands in my opening hand. Usually enough to get started. But i do not see any Explorer, Wall of roots or lands. Eventually i die in round 7 because of his creature horde. 2. After sideboarding in four Elephant grass i know i can only lose to mana screw. Now my opponent is mana screwed. He has to block my Veteran Explorer in round 2 to get land. I play Cadaverous Bloom in round three!! And win the round after. 3. I can play an Elephant Grass early and keep it for 5 rounds. Drop it play Bloom and Prosperity and finaly get enough cards in hand to Drain him for 20. 1-0 Round 2: Gisle ? Sands of time 1. He plays an early Sands of time and i know i am doomed if he playes the Equipoise because i did not have a Charm. But he did not draw any Tutor or Equip oise so i can start the combo after playing a City of Sollitude. 2. He gets an early Equipoise which i Emerald Charm. Then comes Wand of denial and a sands of time. He used the wand several times and used a Vampiric Tutor to get a new Epuipoise. I Emerald Charm this one too and finaly Tutor for a Drain. Six cards in hand and several lands are enough to Drain him for 12. It is realy cool to use the Infernal Contract in Round 4 to get four new cards. Can he give me damage? No. 2-0 Round 3: Swedish can not remember his name Mono blue1. He playes an early Waters pout and as I do not have a City of Sollitude on hand there is little I can do. I play Well of Knowledge and Bloom. The I go through half my library but i can not get a City. When I have less then 30 cards left in my library I get nervous because i did not draw the cards i needed. I had to stop going through my deck and my atempt to Powersink one of his spells is countered. He has still some lands up and can counter enough so i die to a Waterspout. 2. He takes a double mulligan!! He starts playing some creatures and i get a City through by using my counters. I get nervous because time is running out and I have to calculate right in order not to stop after a Prosperity. One minute before times goes out I manage to get a Prosperity with enough cards to Drain him. Unfinnished 2-0-1 Round 4: Norvegian Mono Blue 1. This was one of the games were i did not have a chance winning. He starts and Boomerangs a land in round 2 and 3. I have to discard two times. Then he plays a Ophidience and a Waterspout Djin. I had not a chance. 2. I get a perfect start against mono blue. Land, land, Wall of Roots, Land and City. He has only two lands so he can only Memory Laps as he can not Power sink. I play Bloom the next round and have total control. 3. I can not remember that game but when I won he showed me three Abjure he had in hand but no permanentsto sack 3-0-1 Round 5: Swedish Mono Blue 1. I can not remember so much of that game. I lose. 2. I make a comeback and win because of the City of Sollitude 3. I have to cast an early Prosperity because of his Waterspout which is hurting me. The Prosperity is only for a few cards but I manage to get a Infernal Contr act. I Contract and draw an new Contract and a Prosperity. But I do not have any blue Mana left and I have played Lands already. I have no Charm or Early Harves t to get blue mana so I Contract and I get another contract. I Contract again an d get a third Contract. But I still have no Charm. But I count my cards and I ha ve 11 cards and a Drain Life. Drain my opponent for 20. Ten seconds left until e nd of the round. That was close. Now I am in the quaterfinals. Round 6: Swedish ErAtog 1. He only draws one Bad river and I just play Lands Bloom and win. 2. Bad draw. I have can not get any card to give me the Prosperity or Contract. He runs over me with creatures. 3. This game I got the cards I needed all the time. Elephant Gras Hold me alive long enough to play City, Bloom and Prosperity. After some Infernal Contract I m anage to Drain him for more than 20. 5-0-1 quarterfinals: The norvegian player I played before Mono blue 1. We both play several Lands and when I Impulse in his turn he Dissipates the I mpulse. I Power Sink his Dissipate and he Powersinks my spell. He is tapped out and I play Bloom and Prosperity for ten cards. The last of the ten cards was a P rosperity. I win. 2. He only draws two Lands. I play City and have five Lands out. He resigns when I show him my Bloom. Semifinals: The swedish player I played before Mono Blue 1. He Abducts my Veterane Explorer and draws cards because of his Ophidiance. In the end he has four of them out and he winns. All i do is countred. 2. In round 5 I have five lands and two Bloom in hand. He has four untapped Isla nds. I decide to try play the Bloom and it goes through. He had no counter in ha nd about 15 in his deck. Infernal Contract in round 6 draw a City play it and pl ay a Prosperity and win. 3. I can not remember the game as i am a bit nervous because if I win I am in Ch icago. I win at last. Finals: Kim ? Mono Blue We took a draw because i was getting late and we both would go to Chicago. I won against four Mono blue decks and one unfinished against mono blue. Before the turnement I thought this to be not possibel. I would have made some changes now add a extra City to the sideboard two Vision Charms and Coersions. Se you in Chigaco. -Thomas Refsdal