Subject: Berlin Regionals Analysis Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:54:36 +0200 From: 03039732118-0001@t-online.de (Michael Giersch) To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Yo Frank ! Welcome to the Berlin final 8 report. First of all some words about the field. Sligh was present but not as mucho as we predicted. Therefore we had plenty of mono G ( Vineyard-Scroll ) and mono U in all variations ( straight control, fish etc ). Nearly all decks were creature- based. Note: NO SCROLL IN TOP 8 !!! The known players from Berlin did not do well with only one exception: David Hafemann ! Defending Berlin champion Adrian Sen dropped out after three rounds just as last year´s 2nd Rosario Maij. Anyway on to the final 8: After 6 rounds of swiss the following 8 players made the finals ( Sven Grottke came in 9th because of drawing the last round of swiss ): 1st David Hafemann - True 5CG 2nd Kai Maass - Mono R without Scrolls 3rd Thomas Bischoff - U/W Rainbow Permission 4th Jan Walch - U/G/R/W Tradewind Geddon 5th Andreas Graetz - B Weenie with Inferanal Tribute 6th Thobias Foerster - W Weenie with Tradewind 7th Azad Cheikho - Propa Orb 8th Andreas Jaeger - Control Necro You can look up the exact decklistings at the end of this report ! Quarterfinals : Azad Cheikho had to take on 2nd seeded Kai Maass playing burn. In the 1st game Kai stops playing land after the first one and proceeds to pound on Azad with his Jackal. Meanwhile Azad builds up his supplies and achieves the Propa-Orb lock just before Kai draws a bunch of lands. On to game 2: Kai serves early beatdown with a Mogg Fanatic and sideboarded Stone Rains. Due to his many Diamonds Azad manages to make a comeback and brings out an Air Elemental in turn 9. The big, bad bruiser flies all his way to victory along with a well-timed Honorable Passage ( 4 after siding ) which finishes Kai off. Other pairings: David Hafemann beats Andreas Jaeger 2:0 mostly because of many mistakes by Andreas. Thomas Bischoff´s U/W Permission deck proves superior to Thobias Foerster´s White Weenie ( 2:1 ). this brings us to the semi-finals: Topseeded David Hafemann vs Thomas Bischoff Azat Cheikho vs Andreas Graetz In the first game between David and Thomas David´s Centaurs are able to beat Thomas down, although he clears the board two times ( Wrath/Disk ) but U/W operates way too slow under a Winter Orb. Game two is very similar and after killing two Rainbow Efreets ( one of them with Spirit Link ) with just one Granger Guildmage David´s mana-control gives him the edge in form of an Armageddon when Thomas has tapped out the turn before to protect his Efreet. Strong play on David´s side here. In the 2nd semi-final Azad Cheikho loses to Andreas Graetz due to mana-screw in the deciding game. Finals: David Hafemann vs Andreas Graetz The first game Andreas comes out strong with Shadows and a Guildmage. Two times David´s Maros are assassinated immediatly by Nekrataals snd he dies shortly after. After doing some serious sideboard errors ( both players side-out land ! ) David starts out fast with Llanowar Elves and a Jolrael´s Centaur. Andreas on the other hand brings out a Hidden Horror which dies in a battle with a 4/4 Maro. Next turn Andreas makes a big mistake in playing a Nekrataal to kill the Elves. David casts a big Nature Spirit ( 7/7 Maro ) and that´s game. 3rd and deciding game: David mulligans, although having 3 Rangers, a Wall of Roots and some Centaurs but only one forest. The new cards are in my opinion not much better despite having two lands but no mana creature. Any way both players start out fast with a Black Knight and a Hidden Horror on Andreas` and a 3/3 Maro and a Centaur on David´s side. David double-blocks the Horror and along with the Maro it goes to the graveyard. Andreas proceeds to throw out two Knights and two Bad Moons but is held back by David´s River Boa and sideboarded Propaganda. Life is getting low on both sides and Andreas tries for the kill using all his mana to pump one of the Knights. David topdecks a Winter Orb and establishes a semi-lock. But with the help of Dark Ritual Andreas perishes all of David´s creatures two turns later and goes for the kill. Final 8 decks: 1st Andreas Graetz: Sideboard: 4 Dark Ritual 2 Deathgrip 2 Drain Life 2 Energy Flux 4 Knight of Stromgald 2 Perish 4 Black Knight 3 Disenchant 4 Nekrataal 1 Honorable Passage 3 Shadow Guildmage 2 Boil 3 Infernal Tribute 1 Pyroblast 2 Bad Moon 1 Knights of the Mist 2 Hidden Horror 1 Sleight of Mind 4 Dauthi Horror 3 Dauthi Slayer 1 Skulking Ghost 3 Necratog 3 Gemstone Mine 2 Undiscovered Paradise 17 Swamp 2nd David Hafemann: Sideboard: 3 Winter Orb 1 Armageddon 3 River Boa 2 Disenchant 4 Maro 3 Propaganda 2 Wall of Roots 3 Chill 2 Mana Leak 3 Pyroblast 2 Llanowar Elves 2 Lhurgoyf 4 Quiron Ranger 1 Uktabi Orangutan 2 Terror 4 Bird of Paradise 4 Jolrael´s Centaur 3 Granger Guildmage 1 Simoon 2 Incinerate 2 Uktabi Orangutan 2 Armageddon 1 Disenchant 12 Forest 2 Gemstone Mine 4 Undiscovered Paradise 1 City of Brass 3rd Azad Cheikho: Sideboard: 2 Waterspout Djinn 3 Knights of the Mist 2 Air Elemental 3 Honorable Passage 4 Man o´ War 4 Hydroblast 2 Suq´ Ata Firewalker 1 CoP: Red 4 Counterspell 3 Disenchant 1 Disrupt 1 Disrupt 2 Dissipate 2 Memory Lapse 2 Mana Leak 4 Impulse 1 Disenchant 1 Honorable Passage 3 Winter Orb 4 Propaganda 2 Marble Diamond 3 Sky Diamond 2 Quicksand 2 Plains 2 Undiscovered Paradise 2 Adarkar Wastes 2 Flood Plains 11 Plains 4th Thomas Bischoff: Sideboard: 4 Counterspell 3 Wasteland 4 Nevinyrral´s Disk 2 Warmth 3 Rainbow Efreet 3 Chill 4 Wrath of God 1 Gerrard´s Wisdom 3 Whispers of the Muse 3 CoP: Red 2 Disenchant 3 Aura of Silence 2 Dismiss 4 Spirit Link 2 Gerrard´s Wisdom 3 Impulse 2 Mana Leak 3 Dissipate 2 Reflecting Pool 4 Quicksand 2 Flood Plain 1 Undiscovered Paradise 5 Plains 6 Island 2 Adarkar Wastes 2 Thalakos Lowland 5th Jan Walch: Sideboard: 4 Armageddon 2 Emerald Charm 2 Winter Orb 2 Disenchant 2 Goblin Bombardement 2 Frostbringer 2 Disenchant 2 Propaganda 4 Quirion Ranger 4 Hydroblast 4 Jolrael´s Centaur 1 Chill 4 Bird of Paradise 1 Counterspell 2 Uktabi Orangutan 1 Uktabi Orangutan 4 Wall of Roots 4 Mana Leak 3 Impulse 4 Man o´ War 4 Tradewind Rider 5 Island 7 Forest 3 Gemstone Mine 4 Undiscovered Paradise 6th Thobias Foerster: Sideboard: 2 Sleight of Mind 3 Winter Orb 1 Mind Bend 2 Mind Bend 2 Tradewind Rider 2 Mana Leak 3 Tithe 4 Wrath of God 2 Aura of Silence 4 Crusade 2 Disenchant 4 Empyrial Armor 4 Armageddon 4 Freewind Falcon 4 Duskrider Falcon 4 Order of the White Shield 4 White Knight 4 Soltari Priest 4 Adarkar Wastes 4 Undiscovered Paradise 14 Plains 7th Kai Maass: Sideboard: 4 Mogg Fanatic 3 Shatter 4 Jackal Pup 4 Nevinyrral´s Disk 4 Fireslinger 4 Pyroblast 4 Viashino Sandstalker 4 Stone Rain 4 Ball Lightning 4 Shock 4 Incinerate 4 Hammer of Bogardan 4 Fireblast 4 Wasteland 20 Mountain 8th Andreas Jaeger: Sideboard: 4 Dark Ritual 2 Abyssal Spectre 4 Funeral Charm 3 Dread of Night 4 Nevinyrral´s Disk 3 Perish 2 Corpse Dance 3 Spinning Darkness 4 Stupor 3 Touchstone 4 Drain Life 1 Phyrexian Furnace 2 Agonizing Memories 4 Necropotence 2 Abyssal Spectre 4 Diabolic Edict 4 Bottle Gnomes 2 Snake Basket 2 Quicksand 2 Wasteland 2 Stalking Stones 1 Volrath´s Stronghold 14 Swamp Props: - All players who made final 8 - Azad Cheikho for playing his best tournament ever - Markus Lehmann for playing with Jester´s Cap and Disrupting Sceptre in the board Slops: - David Hafemann for taking a mulligan in the finals - Stefan Funcke for trying to start out with 8 cards versus Azad Cheikho in the 4th round of swiss - the "so - called" better Berlin players for losing in the first rounds of swiss ( Shame on you ! ) - Sven Grottke for doing the maths ;-) Feel free to comment, Michael Giersch