Date: 	Fri, 27 Nov 98 16:44PM EST 
From: 	Raphael Levy 
Subject: 	Pt Rome 

Hi all!

I thought that I had to write a report, so I did it....

What to play at PT Rome wasn't a question for me before the PT.  I knew what I'll be playing when I heard 
that the format would be Extended: LLL.  I won GP Lyon with it and CANNOT play anything else.

For those who don't know the deck:

  4 Thermokarst
  4 Winter's Grasp
  3 Creeping Mold
  4 Wall of Roots
  3 Wall of Blossoms
  4 Llanowar elves
  4 Fyndhorn Elves of Blossoms
  4 Llanowar elves
  4 Fyndhorn Elves
  4 Ernham Djinns
  2 Triskelion
  3 Serrated Arrows
  3 Cursed Scroll
  4 Mishra's factory
  4 Wasteland
  14 Forests

  Sideboard:
  3 Emerald charm
  1 Tranquil Grove
  1 Serrated Arrows
  1 Lhurghoyf
  3 Uktabi Orangutans
  1 Creeping mold
  2 Choke
  3 Tormod's Crypt

What was the idea to change this deck?

- Argothian Wurms: grr, I hate this card, too situational

- Gaea's Cradle: I tested with two of it, then one, and eventually 0. Everytime (95%) 
I drew it, I would have prefered to draw a forest

- Main deck Orangutans: no, these are not needed

- Icys?: When playtesting, I always died with Icies in hand, so replace it by 
Blossoms, really better against sligh

What I would change today:

- Sideboard!: yes, I would replace some crap (the Grove) to add 3 or 4  Root maze...

Here's the report:

Round 1: David Bachman; MoMa, Tides

Game 1: He tried to get his combo with a spiral, but fails... I kill him with djinns.
Game 2: I get a LD hand, destroy some lands, then try to destroy a land...he thinks, thinks, 
counters and is now all tapped, and dies to my well placed Choke.

1-0-0

Round 2: Jeremy Baca; Academy

Game 1 : 3 turns
Game 2: 2.5 turns

1-1

Round 3: Andrea Viteli; Tradewind

I didn't expect this deck too much but I knew some players would play it...
Game 1: I die to a tradewind lock
Game 2: Destroy all lands and creatures, permants.
Game 3: the same.

2-ll lands and creatures, permants.
Game 3: the same.

2-1

Round 4: David Williams; Sligh

Mmmmm, a bye! Oooeuuu,  a sligh!  This is the best matchup I can have!
I will sum up all games against sligh, because, they're not interesting...
Game 1: Ernhies, Triskie and Serrated + 7walls....sligh never win...
Game 2: the same.

3-1-0

Round 5: Rodrigo Castro....?

Don't remeber this game at all, sorry...;)
I think He was playing sligh

4-1-0

Round 6: Druzbucki Sebastian; W-red

Game 1: I get crushed by a priest with a Big armor...
Game 2: I gain control of the board with 2 arrows and Triskie
Game 3: see Game 1

4-2-0

At this time I want to draw (I didn't play the 2nd day at PT Chi, because I didn't 
draw against Mike "maddening imp/Manakin" Katz; and lost :(

Round 7: Mike Pustilnik
A teammate!

4-2-1

Day 2

Round 8: Benson Gordon; By....sligh!

Game 1: mmm just before this game, I get his deck and, because he got new sleeves, 
all his cards flew away; as a reflex, I stood up, walked away from the table, turning
my eyes away.  I called a judge and I get a single warning, no game loss because of my
reflex....ouf!  Ohhh, this is a sligh?, see round 4
Game 2: get burned by a double fireblast/fork
Game 3: see round 4 (Perfect!)

5-2-1

Round 9: Federico Dato; MoMa Tides

Game 1: I have to mulligan to six cards,and draw a poor hand against his deck (elves 
and djinns)
Game 2: Got a LD draw, manage to destroy some lands, and cast a choke
Ga, manage to destroy some lands, and cast a choke
Game 3: We have to mulligan:
  -He plays Island
  -Forest+ elf
  -Island
  -wall or roots
  -Island
  -Blossoms
  -nothing
  -forest

At this time, he didn't play a land and I suppose that he need only 1 more land to start his 
combo.  What would YOU have done:
  I have: 1 wall of roots, 1 Emerald Charm, 2 Djinns, 1 Creeping Mold.

  What to do:
  -Play the djinn to put the pressure and do nothing if he starts his combo....
  -Play creeping mold and maybe be countered (by a disrupt), and do nothing if he starts 
  his combo
  -Play wall of Roots, and keep the emerald charm if he plays MoMa, and play the mold on 
  the next turn....

I took the third solution, play the wall.  He draws, and tell me to go ahead, I drew my 3rd forest, 
and play creeping mold, he disrupts, draws a card, disrupt, draws a card, and disrupt! and draws 
a third card...and kill me on the next turn...  Grrr

5-3-1

Round 10: Tony Tsai; Death

Game 1: Get the hand to beat Death: all LD!
Game 2: I concede when he have a Tradewind out and XXX creatures
Game 3: see game 1

6-3-1

Round 11: Lee Curtis, Sligh

Game 1: Lose due to too many forest
Game 2-3: See round 4 :)

7-3-1

I have to win all 3 next rounds and I'm in...

Round 12:  Adolfo Martinez;Death.

Game 1 and 2: He gets the recurring/whale combo, after countering my LD with his recurring 
Wood elves...

7-4-1

No top 8 this Time....

Round 13 : Mikko S7-4-1

No top 8 this Time....

Round 13 : Mikko Snygg, Sligh

Game 1-2: see round 4

8-4-1

Round 14: Francis Hock Quak

Game 1: Get the LD hand, I destroy lands from turn 2 to turn 6 until he play no land, and kill 
him with elves and djinns....(perfect!), but I don't know what he's playing!  (I destroyed a Bayou,
scrubland, Badland....? maybe Death....And sideboard in my crypts..)
Game 2: He gets his recurring/whale combo too early....
Game 3: I play first: (I have a pretty good draw with LD, but with only 1 forest)
  -Forest+elf
  -bayou
  -nothing (grrrr)
  -badland + hermit druid
  -forest+ Thermokarst on the bayou
  - scrubland
  -Winter grasp (he cannot use the druid)
  -nothing
  -(me) Nothing- (i have arrows in hand and am waiting for a 4th mana)
  -he draws....nothing!
  -forest arrows, kill the druid and this game is mine

9-4-1

I ended 22nd with the deck that most players who don't know it tell that it's a "pile of crap..."
It's maybe a pile of crap, but a pile of crap that beat sligh!

So, I'm pleased to get my 7 PT points, and get back my 8 lost points from Mainz...
I'm sorry to have bored you with this uninteresting report (there's not many things to say when 
you play LD....)

Props:
  -Nicolas Labarre: another french in the Gravy train!
  -All players who played LLL
  -Olivier Piechiazik: to finish 28th with LLL!
  -everyone who read this report until the end
  -teammates, in general....

Slops:
  -Everyone who thinkseral....

Slops:
  -Everyone who thinks that LLL is a "pile of crap"
  -me to have written this baaad report ;)

Awoiwe!

Raphael Levy
Team Legion
Grob (irc)