From: Brick@ccmailer.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de (Daniel Brickwell) Subject: Re: Essen Report with PTQ Report Part 3 Date: 24 Oct 1996 10:04:19 GMT Hi, welcome to the third part of my report the PTQ. I decided to play a Browse deck for the qualifier as Browse did very well against creature decks (ie Rade) and after sideboarding it became even nastier. The only problem for the Browse deck is another Browse or counter deck and as I found out the time limit. While the normal Browse deck is U/W/r I would say, though there are U/R versions, I decided not to trust in red as most people would be prepared for it. Infact I saw a few useless Hydroblasts in first games against me. Therefore I decided to go with U/B/w Browse. But that still left me with the probelm of other counter decks. Here I found out through testing that the deck which can Glacier or Browse first will win in control against control and that the Outpost can also be deciding if not removed. Infact it basically came down to these three cards glacier, outpost and Browse. I decided I wanted to be able to field 4 of each atleast after sideboarding. I reminded myself of something George Baxter said to Frank Schacherer before PT 1, "Are you ready for the Ernham War?" I decided to be ready for the Outpost War. Alannis (a dark version of Natalie my Type II deck) Counters 4 Counterspell 3 Arcane Denial 2 Force of Will Creature Defence (Finishers) 4 Swords 4 Icy Manipulators 2 Keldjoran Outposts 3 Phantasmal Fiend (Fiend plus Icy = Rade is in trouble) Land Defence 3 Icequake Utility: 2 Disenchant Digger 3 Browse Zuran Orb 2 Mind Warp 4 Thawing Glacier (Yes 4!) 4 Ardarkar Wastes 4 Underground River 4 Plains (remember Glaciers) 5 Swamps 6 Islands 61 cards Sideboard: 3 Cop Green 3 Hydroblast Browse 2 Keldjoran Outposts 3 Plains Phantasmal fiend 2 Disenchant What I severely missed btw was either 1-2 Stench of Decay or Withering Wisps. Ok no to the rounds: Round 1: A U/W/r controldeck like I played in Columbus. I win the Outpost war easily as I can Mindwarp him and he has useless Hydroblasts. 2:0, 1:0 Round 2: A better U/W/r control deck played by a friend of my first round opponent. This deck contains Jokulhaups and also Outposts so I tread more carefully. The time limit raises its ugly head for the first time as our second match is broken off. 1:0, 2:0 Round 3: I meet an Outpost deck with 4 Outposts, 4 Thawing Glaciers Brainstorm, Barbed Sextants, Counters galore and 3 Stone Rains! If he had used portent instead of Brainstorm his deck would have been really ugly. Game 1: I win because I realize earlier that this will be my first Outpost War Engagement. I distract him with spells he counters and get a three token superiority, which in the end is enough to kill him, after a while we both have 2 Outposts and 2 Thawing Glaciers in play, ugly! Game 2: Manascrew! I draw three Outposts in my opening hand but no Glacier no plains for the next 20 rounds! Game 3: Timelimit! 1:1:1 2:0:1 Round 4: I meet a U/W/r Browse deck from my Mailing Group, but with more creatures than standard, especially a Silbant and some Aesthir (ugh!) Game 1: I draw 2 Icequake and a fiend on my opening hand. My opponent sighs and puts down land next round he puts down the card he draws, another land (manascrew?). I Icequake twice, but he keeps drawing land then an outpost. Things are definitely heading in the wrong direction until I get my Browse through. A few Browses later I get my third Icequake, his Outpost is gone, I have an Outpost out and a Zuran Orb. I win! Whew! Game 2: I draw no creature elimination, but for one lonely Icy which gets countered. All my opponent needs to play is one Aesthir and pump him 7 times. My Outpost tokens do not arrive soon enough or deal enough damage compared to that little f.... Pumpknight. Argghh! Game 3: Well he draws two Glaciers I draw none! I start loosing quickly his hand stays full, his mana development is ugly and my hand depletes as I counter or deal with his threats. Then finally I get my Mindwarp, all I have left is one counterspell, but I wait for him to counter something and Warp! Deflection from him and Counterspell from me. There goes his hand 6 cards baby! But his Glaciers are still there and he is now drawing only business cards can I save it into the timelimit? His hand fills up again. I get an Outpost, which is stone rained after one lonely token. A Blinking arrives on his side. I have two swords and 16 life. I decide to block the Blinking and not waste a sword as he has Aesthir and Silbant. He Lava Bursts me for 16! Stunned I look at my two swords. He only has two blue mana free (19 Mana to my 8 or so f.... Glaciers). Where is my little soldier so I can sword him twice? Gone ... Argh! 1:2 2:1:1 This essentially kicks me out of the running as we are only playing six rounds of swiss for 150 people. The proscribed number is 8, but the convention closes at 8, only enough time for six rounds of swiss. The single elimination of the top 8 will be done at a separate location. I did suggest to the officials to then take the top 16 to a new location instead of just the top 8, but they give me the lame excuse that the Hotel room is only big enough for 10 people! But what can I expect from the Belgian Division of DCI when they have not managed to send me my DCI Membership Card eventhough I have been a member for a whole year now, certainly not the initiative to organize a bigger room! Round 5: My heart is no longer in it and I draw with a R/G Rade deck which has supplanted the Baubles with even more creatures. Game 1: He obverruns me as I draw no Fiend in time to my Icy. Game 2: Cop Green and 2 Glaciers spell his doom, but it takes three Fiends and three Icies to eat through his useless Creature Armada, this takes quite a while as he constantly complains how unfare two glaciers and one measily circle are. Game 3: timelimit! I could have probably won game two faster if my heart would have been in it, but the deck might be still to slow for a third game as we only have two minutes for this game. 1:1:1 2:1:2 Round 6: I play against a Zur's Wierding Fiend Knight Deck. Once he tries to banish my Phantasmal Fiend, enough said. I win 2:1, without breaking into a sweat. He has nothing to combat my Icies or Outposts really. 2:1 3:1:2 A sad ending to a action packed weekend. Well I have to go back to the drawing board for the Berlin Qualifier this weekend. Wish me good luck. Friendly Greetings, Daniel