Subject: GP Lisbon Report Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 09:59:13 +0200 From: Rui Mariani To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Grand Prix Lisbon Report I playtested a lot for this event. Me and my team tried every deck in the environment and we were considering playing the CMUtech.dec but then we saw that it couldn't beat awakening and we give it up. The decks that we found better were survival, awakening and counter phoenix, but the last one seemed a little inconsistent and I didn't want to make big bets in such an event. So I decided to play survival. I think that it's the more reliable deck for the environment because it handles beatdown very good and has the threats to aplly some early pressure to control. Then I realized that everyone would play survival and awakening beats survival so I better play awakening. VERY BAD CALL. I end up playing with the version of Zvi, but with one less allure and with one wasteland main deck instead of a skyshroud forest. The allure went to the board replacing a licid, and I also replaced one tranquility with an extra portcullis. We arrived at the location at 8:30, and start the first round at 12:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The "organization" needed 4 hours to handle the check in and place the pairings for round 1. I had a bye (SO STRONG * ONE ENTIRE BYE JUST FOR ME * I SUCK). There are six rounds! for 500+ persons, so 5-1 would made it and 4-1-1 should made it. There were no information of the level of the tournament!!!! But I deduced level 5 rules enforcement like in Boston. The Report : Round 1 * BYE. I play soooo good. :- ) Round 2 * B/U Living death, with lobotomy's and Volrath's Shapeshifter!! This is a very bad match up although I think the deck is not so strong but lobotomy's, living deaths, tradewinds AND counters is not what you want to face when you play awakening. The first game was in a stand situation. With my allures on the table he can't play tradewinds and I have to counter lobotomys, living deaths and I really wish I played sligh. Then something happens. He untaped a Rootwater depths that he used for colored mana. I called a judge and he gave him a warning AND a duel loss. OK I think this is really level 5. The second game I lost due to massive lobotmys, ,living deaths shapeshifter and tradewind action. I didn't have a chance. The third game was something like: Me :island, go. Him: swamp, go. Me : island, go Him : swamp, go. Me : island, go Him : go! Me : capsize a swamp in your discard. He discards verdant force. Me : Play tradewind, go. Him : Island, go. Me : Play tradewind 2, go. I HAVE A PORTCULLIS IN MY HAND. Him: Island, shapeshifter. WTF!!!!!! Me : draw, no creature, go. Him : attack, no blocks. Me : Play spike feeder. He attacks with everything (including the shapeshifted verdant force tokens). I called a judge and explain him that the tokens can not attack in the turn they came in play. He gets a warning. I bounce the shapeshifter and he living deaths. Ok. This is looking very bad. He has like 2 tradewinds, 2 verdant forces and some more random stuff. I think the game is lost, and I still wish I played against sligh or survival. I get a spike feeder, great. Then something happens AGAIN. He attacks with everything, including the verdant force tokens with summoning sickness, and takes it back. A judge is watching the game and HE AGREES THAT HE CAN TAKE IT BACK !!!!!!!!!!!! Level 5 rules enforcement is so strange. Anyhow, I lost a bad match up 1 minute before time is called. Good start * NOT. Round 3 * Sligh * Yes, I can beat this!!!! First game I draw 0 walls, 0 feeders, 0 weavers and the first creature I play is a tradewind in turn 4 that is sonic bursted. All this after a mulligan. OK, I can beat sligh. In playtest sligh was something like my dream match up. I can't believe this is happening to me. Second game I have 2 oaths of druids in my hand, that I don't need to play, because I actually drew some walls... And feeders. This is more normal. He concedes when I capsize and tradewind bounce all his permanents after I played awakening. Third game I draw my 7: no walls, no oaths, no feeders. Mulligan. 6 cards : 1 oath, NO WALLS and NO FORESTS. I have to keep this hand and hope I can draw something in my first 2 cards or else I will be very dead. He plays a creature, I draw: nothing. He plays another creature and I draw SKYSHROUD FOREST (WTF). He plays two more creatures and when I have the oath going I get 2 walls (now they come) but I am very low on live and he has a goblin bombardment and 5 or 6 random creatures. He plays another creature and I capsize the bombardment in response. He attacks with everything bringing me to 2 points. He casts bombardment, I counter. He casts shock, I die. So I am out of the second day in the second round I play. I'm really sad and I still think I can beat sligh IF I CAN DRAW ANY WALLS. At this point I'm considering dropping out, but I can't drop out with 1-2 and I decide I will at least make 4-2. Round 4 * Suicide. First game I win the dice and decided to play first. No mulligans for me (finally). He decides to mulligan and after drawing his 6 he keeps it. When I am preparing to play he DRAWS A CARD AND PLAYS A SWMP ????????. He's everybody crazy ???? So I win this one but the judge was not sure what to do. He had to consult with the head judge!!!!!! Second game was a dream. He goes swamp carnophage, I play a land. He plays spinal graft. I'm dead ??? NO WAY. I play wall and pass. He attacks I block with wall. He plays assassin!!! I play feeder and pass. He plays sacromancy and dauthi horror, sacrifice the sacromancy token to assassin my feeder, attacks with carnophage. Take 5 win 4. I play awakening. He attacks, I capsize the carnophage. I TOPDECK CAPSIZE and proceed to capsize all his permanents except the sacromancy. I'm sooooo good :- ). Round 5 * sligh (I'm not so confident) First game 1 mulligan, 0 walls, 0 feeders, 0 weavers. Second game : Early oath that I have to bounce before he can start to use it. Third Game : Same as second except that HE TAKES THREE MINUTES every turn to play a land and a creature that I would bounce to his hand in his discard fase. I call a judge and when time is called he has 15 live, no permanents on the table and I have 2 tradewinds and a weaver beating him. The judge says he didn't stalled !!!!!!! I ask for 3 turns or the head judge. He consults with another judge and give us some more time. I beat him in 3 attacks. Round 6 * WW. First game * I have 2 walls and 1 tradewind, he only played one land. Second game * in 5 minutes all his permanents are in his hand. In the end of this round something happened AGAIN. A guy screams something like "WHERE ARE THE #$%*! JUDGES!!!!". He does it so loud that everybody stops talking and looks at him. He was given a triple warning AND PROCEEDS TO THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think this must be a NEW triple warning. So, I make 4-2 and end up in 153 rd place. This is not the result I was expecting, but I should not have lost to sligh* :-( PROPS : All my team and my sponsor Clube de Jogos de Santa Justa in the person of Rui Cordeiro. Helder Coelho (team member) * Played flawlessly with survival. 4th place. He should have won, but was very unlucky in the semi-finals. Alexandre Quadrio (team member) * He went with counter phoenix (untested) and ended in 17th place. Well Done!! Bruno Cardoso * He won the whole thing playing VERY WELL in the finals against Hacker. Congratulations. Randy Buehler and Brian Hacker * For being all around great guys and being here. SLOPS : The judge that made this rulling * Player A casts lobotomy and places it on the table. He is looking at the table, since he has an active tradewind and wants to respond to the lobotomy. The opponent shows him his hand after 5 seconds or something and the judge says that Player A CAN NOT RESPOND, BECAUSE HE WAS NOT CLEAR ABOUT RESPONDING TO THE LOBOTOMY * ARE YOU CRAZY ???? Do we have to say "wait a minute. I want to respond" in order to respond to our spells ???????? Wall of blossoms - They never show up when needed. PSEUDO level 5 rules enforcement * Please make sure you know what is the level of rules enforcement and TELL IT TO ALL THE JUDGES. 4 hours check-ins. Everyone who says "Losing to someone from Portugal is not acceptable" * I'm sure you would have won the Grand Prix. Thanks for reading, Rui Mariani Clube de Jogos de Santa Justa http://www.santajusta.com Email * rmariani@mediaplanning.com