From: leech@gate.net (Adam Maysonet)
Subject: Necropotence Tourney Report
Date: 25 Mar 1996 16:42:07 GMT

Me and about 8 friends rented a van and drove up to Orlando, Florida to
play in a type II sanctioned tournament where the prize was a box of
Italian Legends. The trip took about 5 hours, and we had stayed up the
night before playing Magic, booster draft, etc. I got a bit of sleep in
the van, and was ready when we arrived at our destination, University of
Central Florida.

David Doust (coordinator of SE Regionals, Pro Tourney Qualifiers, etc) and
I were both using identical mono-Necropotence decks with the exception of
a few sideboard cards. Aaron Terry (top 16 in Juniors Division at Pro
Tourney) was using a variant of Mark Justice's Winter Orb/Howling Mine
deck. Jay Rosenberg used a very anti-black R/G small-to-medium creature
deck, with lots of direct damage, uthdens, elvish archers, spectral bears,
erhnams, mishras, etc. Joe Stein used a G/W armageddon deck. The rest of
the gang has other less theme heavy decks.

With a good amount of playtesting, I found that I had most trouble vs. R/G
big critter decks and against Aaron's howling mine/orb deck, so my
sideboard was prepared fairly well against those decks. I didn't go with
glooms standard because I figured the Prot. White creatures (Orders and
Knights of Stromgalds) act as anti-white, and at least help vs non-white
decks).

The format was to be to play six opponents, 3 games, and you get 3 points
for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss or time out. The top 4 would be
chosen from those with the highest points.

First game, I play against a R/G big critter deck. Just my luck. However,
I stripped his land first turn, and he didn't pull another until it was
too late. Game 2 he was a bit land short, and the strip mine came into
effect again, winning me the game. Third game I just rushed him too fast
for him to recover. After the games I asked him how much land he had in
his deck, and he said 20. Although he had mana elves, tinder walls, etc,
you need the mana to cast them in the first place, and they aren't too
hard to get rid of.

The next opponent was using a G/W deck. After hymning him at least twice,
stripping one of his only lands in the first game, he brought out the
feared Mesa Pegasus! Luckily for me, my Orders of the Ebon Hand were
unaffected, and I steamrolled thru. I sideboarded in lots of Glooms, and
first turn I ritualed and brought out a gloom. Next turn I hymned, and he
couldn't recover. Last game I got a 2nd turn gloom, strip mine, hymn, but
he got out a whirling dervish and got me to 8 life before I was able to
disk it away. Then I won.

At this point, I was feeling fairly confident, being the only person with
a perfect record. But there were 4 games left. David Doust won both games,
but with a 3-0 and 2-1 record. Aaron won 2-1 and went 1-0-1 his games,
while Jay had a 2-1 and 2-1 record.

My next opponent was once again a R/G deck. At this point, I was thinking
perhaps next time to use two Deathgrips in my deck, for gods sake! The
first game against him he bolted me turn one, incinerated me turn two. I
had a slow hand, but was pleased to see he was trigger happy. When I
brought my Hypnotic Specter out third turn, he was out of burn. I stripped
a land, and once again, my opponent had land troubles. He brough a few
elves out, but my Nevinyrral's Disk wiped out 2 elves and a Sylvan
Library. I won that game pretty decisively. Sideboard time, and I switched
in only 1 Serrated Arrows, because I had not really seen what was in his
deck yet. He begins with some elves, a Sylvan Library, and I hymn him
twice. He is holding one card, and I'm having a bit of mana trouble (3
lands only) so I ritual to bring out a disk. His card in hand was a
shatter, and he used it. From then on, I drew little land and he rocked
me. Next game I could only draw 2 land, and he bolted the 4-5 orders I
played, basically 1 a turn, because that was all I could do. I lost this
match.

We broke for lunch, went to Miami Subs, had an OK Tuna Sub, and we made it
back a few minutes late, but they waited for us :)

Next matchup was against a B/U permission/millstone deck with Jester Caps
and howling mines. My draw was 6 lands and an Order. I drew land, and
after Wrath of Godding my order, I could do little else, as he had the
permission and howling mines in play. He capped out my deck, but at the
last moment I played a Necropotence to prevent running out of cards.
However, he had disenchants left, so I conceded. The next game I
sideboarded in my anti-U/W cards, namely a Black Vise, Feldons Cane, and a
few glooms. I got a God Draw, and since I chose to go first, played a
vise. I strip mined his next two lands, then dark ritualed to bring out an
Order. He died very quickly. Last game I played an early order, then a Nev
Disk. He had a howling mine, and he had to tap out to wrath of god it. I
took that as a sign that he was desperate and was low on anti-creature
cards (only about 2 cards left in hand) so I disked end of his turn to get
rid of the howling mine, then ritualed, sac'ed a Ebon Stronghold, and
brought out an Ishan Shade. He couldn't stop it, and I won.

I sat down to play my next opponent, and he was also using a U/W deck. But
it was a winter orb/control deck, which used a vise, 4 serra angels, and 4
mishras to win. My first game I got an incredible draw, hymned him 4 times
in the first 8 turns. Got him really low, he then took control. I had a
drain life in hand, he had 3-4 cards and plenty of untapped mana, and a
winter orb out. He would soon take total control so I had to take a
chance, and I tried to drain him. It worked, he had no counterspells, and
I won. Once again, sideboarded in the Black Vise, but I also had 2 Icy
Manipulators in the side that I put in. In this game I got 3 glooms, 2
hymns, a ritual, land, etc. Turn 2 I double hymned him, leaving him with 2
cards in hand, 1 land. He couldnt pull another land. Next turn I got a
hypnotic specter, so playing it safe I cast gloom. Of course, one of his 2
cards was a sleight, and he sleighted it to black. I drew another gloom
(all 4, wow!) but didn't get another land for about 8 turns. He came back,
and took control. He then mentioned to me he only had ONE sleight in his
deck... sigh.. what luck. Third game he got an early lock on me and I
couldn't win, tapping my lands with the winter orb out.

With one more match to play, I had 30 points. David Doust had 36 and was
in the lead, losing only to one opponent. Aaron was at 27, losing once,
tying once, and doing OK. Jay Rosenberg was undefeated, but always went
2-1 so he had 30 points like me. Joe lost too many games to be considered,
as did the rest of the crew. Figuring it out, I had to sweep my next
opponent to get a chance in the finals.

My matchup, a R/G deck...   My luck.

He was about 14 years old, a very impatient player, so I had a chance. He
ran NO direct damage, just ALL creatures, from Whirling Dervishes, Elves,
Erhnams, Goblin Mutants, Dragon Whelps, Orggs, Lumberjacks, and Bloodlusts
to boot. My first game he played a lumberjack. I played a swamp, his next
turn he plays a land and elf, my next turn I play a land, dark ritual and
disk. What does he do? He sacs a forest, and plays an Orgg with my disk
out! So quite gladly, I disk it all away, leaving him just one land. Game
Over. I sideboard in my Icy Manipulators against him, since he has no
direct damage. This game, he begins attacking, I counterattack, hymning a
bloodlust and erhnam from his hand. I somehow got 4 hypnotic specters out
at once, and rushed him. I manage to win this one. The last game was the
best, however. He gets a turn 2 Dragon Whelp with his lumberjack, and next
turn attacks and bloodlusts it. I hymn him and get his land 2 cards, TWO
more bloodlusts! Whew! I manage to get a few creatures out, but cant
really stop the whelp. I get a Sengir Vampire out, but he plays another
Whelp. Then he plays another! I draw a zuran orb, which saves me (as it
saves everyone) and then get a disk. I blow everything away and play an
Order. He is at 4 life at this point, me at like 8. He had no cards in
hand, but draws the one card to stop it, a Whirling Dervish. We both wait,
I get another disk, get another Order, and disk again, destroying all our
creatures. I play an order, and he draws ANOTHER dervish. Once again I get
a disk and use it, and once again I play an order, and ONCE AGAIN, he
draws the Dervish! Ack. I drew more creatures, but I swear, he drew a
creature every turn for 8 turns. Never any land. At the final point in the
game, I was at 4, he at 2, and he at a dervish and 2 goblin mutants in
play. I had 2 knights of stromgald and just played an Ishan Shade. I had
enough mana to pump the knights to give them 3 power (thus making them
unblockable to the mutants) and attacked with everything, thus winning the
match with a sweep! Close one!

David was playing against the 2nd highest point opponent and swept him,
removing him from the game. (kinda like a swords to plowshares :) Jay also
swept. There were a few people with 39 points, so we had a playoff to see
who plays in the semi final. Time is short, so its just a 1 game match. I
get matched with my friend Jay with his "death to black" R/G deck. More
R/G! Ack! I'm beginning to wish I was color blind.

I got extremely lucky, and stripped one of his only lands, and brought out
a turn 3 Sengir Vampire and a turn 5 Sengir. He couldn't recover, and I
rocked his world. We played the next 2 games for fun, since the other
match was taking a while and I won 1 more game, getting a
necropotence/ivory tower early in the game.

God strike me down! My next opponent was the same guy who beat me round 3,
with the R/G deck! First game, once again, he got mana screwed, and my
strip mine left him with nothing. I quickly won. I sideboarded in
meekstones this time, but forgot most of his critters were like Giant
Spiders, Folk of the Pines, and other strange things like that (however,
not bad, all bolt proof and good defenders). The next game he rocked me,
and I seem to always get mana-screw against him, getting 2 lands only.
Third game, mana screw, some useless meekstones in hand. I got a Vampire
out, drained him for 2 life (all I had mana wise) to put me out of
fireball range (counting his mana). He did draw a fireball, got me down to
1 life. I had an order and a vampire, he had a bird, an elf, and a folk of
the pines. I attacked with the vamp, but he blocked with a bird, pulled
another bird and blocked. He then pulled a bolt, and game over.

Going to the losers bracket, I find my friend David Doust. He lost to the
same U/W winter orb deck I lost to. Close game though. We played, both of
us seeing a lot of necropotences, but I managed to beat him 2-0. We split
our prizes, and we both gave Jay a pack of Renissance (I told him I would
split the box of IT LE but since I didn't win that, he would only get a
pack or 2 of our meager prize ;)

The finals were played by the only two people to beat me, the R/G and the
U/W orb deck. The first game the R/G got him down to 1, but he pulled a
Zuran Orb and the game turned around. The second game the U/W got him
locked down with the Icy's, killed him with Mishras and a Serra.

Of course there were lots I forgot to mention, including my use of
Necropotence. I used it in a lot of games, and it won me many. As did
Demonic Consultation, getting swamps when I was land short, hymns, strip
mines, disks, etc. What I LOVE about the Consultation is that it is really
a meta-game deck modifier. Let's say, turn 1, you consult for a hymn.
Assuming there is no hymn in the top 6, you begin to remove cards from the
game. Eventually you reach a hymn (lets say you get 15 cards removed from
the game). Now, you have a deck with 37 cards left, yet you have 3 hymns
left. Therefore, you have altered your deck so that you will draw hymns
more than any other card, besides land. If you do this for disks, same
thing. The more cards you remove from the game, the more tight your deck
becomes, and the more you will draw that named card. And of course, it
acts as a demonic tutor. I think it is an excellent and underrated card,
and with it's metagame usage, very powerful.

All in all, it was very fun, but we had to head back home. Slept in the
van, slept when I got to David's house, and then next morning woke up to
drive to the next tournament..... (sealed deck it was).

Adam Maysonet