Subject: Asaf Peleg New York Urza Saga Prerelease winner[Report] Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 23:14:08 -0500 From: controlbo@juno.com (asaf peleg) To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com [Tourney Report] The morning of the twenty sixth I woke up excited about the pre-release and the new set. I hoped for the best and also hoped that the set would be good. On the train to New York I was looking at the spoiler trying to figure out what was good and what was bad. One very notable thing my friend and me noticed is that there was very little evasion and zero shadow. So we determined that flying was good and anything that was more or less unblockable would really be good. So we both hoped to get good decks and play well, we also knew that we had a good a chance as any because it was all new to everyone. So there I am sitting chair to chair elbow to elbow with fellow players as we anxiously awaited the cards that we were so excited about. I opened my packs quickly glancing at all the cards separating the cards as the judge told us to. Then when I looked hard at all my cards and only one thing stuck out the, Shivan Helkite when I first saw this monster 5/5 flier that deals one damage for 1R and doesn't tap to deal damage I was going nuts. Then something else stuck out the seven casting cost and the double red oh well it was worth it, and it decided that I was playing red basically before I looked at the other red. Then when I looked over my cards and saw what I had, I made my deck. It became Red, Black, and White. Back up creatures: 1 Fire ants- deals one point to all other creatures 2/1 2R 1 Guma- Pro Blue 2/2 2R 1 Goblin Raider- Cannot block 2/2 1R 1 Goblin Patrol- Echo 2/1 R 1 Opal Caryatid- Sleeping Enchantment becomes 2/2 after creature W 1 Sanctum Custodian- Taps to prevent 2 damage 2/2 2W 1 Disciple of Law- Pro Red 2/2 2R Good Ground Critters: 2 Hollow Dogs- +2/+0 when attacking 3/3 4B 1 Sanguine Guard- regenerates, first strike, 2/2 1BB Fliers: 2 Ravenous Skirge- +2/+0 when attacking flies 1/1 2B 1 Skirge Familiar- Chose and discard add 1 B, flies 3/2 4B 1 Voice of Law- Pro Red, flies 2/2 3W 1 Shivan Helkite- DIESEL! 2 Opal Gargoyle- Sleeping Enchantment 2/2 flier after creature 1W Removal: 1 Pit Trap- Artifact 2tap destroy attacking nonflier 2 1 Shower of Sparks- one point to creature one to player R 1 Arc Lightning- 3 damage divided any way 2R 1 Pestilence- Enchantment B deal one damage to all, dies if no creatures EOT 2BB Spells: 1 Disenchant- You know 1 Shiv's Embrace- Enchant creature, creature gets +2/+2 flying and Firebreathing 2RR Lands: 5- Plains 6- Mountains 6- Swamps Total: 8 Red 7 Black 6 White Some things about the deck are like the huge amount of fliers and the Shiv's Embrace that I consider to be very good, the good balance between early creatures and some of the more expensive creatures, a decent amount of removal plus the pestilence that was like a wrath of god. Stuff that I considered the heart of the deck was the Shiv's Embrace, the fliers for 3 mana, and the Shivan Helkite. Some random things I figured out was like if you get late sleeping enchantments removal makes them play creatures less reluctantly, and after the 2nd round it became apparent to me that disenchant was basically removal since almost everyone was playing with at least one sleeping enchantment or an artifact or some good enchantment. Now the rounds that I played. 1st Round Game One- played against a very defensive deck with some removal and a blue enchantment that stops damage done to the player and is destroyed if he a card hits his Graveyard. This particular game was also had the play of the day. He plays his blue enchantment and I have already use up my red burn spells and my pit trap so I thought I would sit there until I got my pestilence or he attacked with something small being that he had all small creatures and couldn't get a successful attack. Then he plays a sleeping enchantment that gains power and toughness equal to the next spell I cast. I think for a while and get an idea. I play my Shiv's Embrace on my hollow dogs making it a 4/4 then use my 1/1 that destroys creatures with power 4 or above (note I switched this out for a disenchant because it was infective most games) then the enchantment dies and I hit him for 9 and he perishes Game 2 - 6 turn kill with Ravenous Skirge. 2nd Round (Record 1-0-0, 2/2) - Some guy with an ok deck that had a black enchantment that destroys non-blacks equal to the number of counters on it. He also had zero effective creatures he also perished both games to my black fliers. 3rd Round (Record 2-0-0 4/4)- Playing a deck with a bunch of large echo creatures and a green enchantment that spits out 3/3's. Game 1- The turn before he blows his 3/3 maker I play my Shivan Helkite and he falls back in his chair and moans. He hit me for 13 the next turn but couldn't kill me and fell to my Shivan the next turn. Game 2- He died on turn five to my fliers and fast creatures 4th Round (Record 3-0-0 6/6)- Really nice Guy came to me after the tournament congratulating me and saying that he felt better losing to the winner and he was the only one I lost a game to. Game 1- I take quick control he is able to hold me back a little with his pestilence gets some damage through but lost to the Helkite in the end. Game 2- I get a lot of early critters out he drops a pestilence and blows uses it for 2, here's were I made the fatal mistake, I save my own custodian keeping my custodian alive he drops a 2/3 flier and beats me down with it and the pestilence and I am holding all my 3/2 fliers and 1/1 fliers damn. Game 3- We start of like the first game except this time he plays more carefully and doesn't give me a chance to play my Helkite by tapping out because of his counters. We both have very successful attacks bringing each other down to low life totals and he has a pestilence out, but I have a four life advantage. I am not worrying because if he pestilences for more than 2 he kills his own creatures sparing one of my own and letting me attack but he doesn't attack with his swamp walker because of my pit trap. I think I have good chances because I hadn't drawn my arc lightning, pestilence or Shiv's Embrace. I manage to draw a pestilence next turn he is at 4 and I am at 9. He has more swamps than me so can deal a larger amount of damage incase we need to draw so we start doing the math. I have 1 swamp open after the pestilence and he has 4 open. So I can hit him for one at the end of his turn and 3 during my turn and he can't pestilence for 4 and tie it up. But then he cast's a blue spell that doesn't let me untap lands and creatures next untap phase (note he has a 0/6 wall that can attack after paying three and it becomes a 3/5 and I have nothing but a pit trap). He can't afford to lose his creature because then the pestilences will die and I will lay fliers. So he lays three creatures and hopes that I don't draw my arc lightning. I draw look at it and I say "Game" arc lightning him and pestilence for 1 game. 5th Round (Record 4-0-0 8/9)- Game 1- I decide to hold my hand with one mountain considering that I will draw more land statistically and that I am holding two 1 CC and two 2 CC. But I don't draw lands for another 4 turns, luckily his deck is slow and steady and I am able to deal with his early creatures. Then when I do get land I am able to take a small advantage but I still don't have a swamp! But then he drops 2 swamp walkers making me hold my swamps because I was at a low life. Oh well I play a shivs embrace on my 2/2 gargoyle and hit him for seven bringing him down to 8. Mathematically I can't kill next turn unless I draw a mountain he goes he puts me at 2 and I am actually praying for a mountain because a pestilence will not help and if I draw a creature I will be forced to hold back my attack. Again I top deck; I draw the mountain to win game. Game 2- I kill him in 7 turns with fliers easily. 6th Round (Record 5-0-0 10/11)- By this point I am felling really good and relize that I have a good chance and that I only have to win one match to be guaranteed a third of a box. I came into the round fearing other decks like mine and I run into a deck that has huge slow creatures and a good amount of weenies. I was lucky enough to draw the pit trap and the regenerator both games. But the deciding thing was that he could not do anything to my fliers and he fell to them easily both games. 7th Round (Record 6-0-0 12/13)- By now the remaining people mostly know what other people have in their decks, Me and my opponent both knew we were playing each other before the pairing being the only 6-0-0 players, we both knew the strong parts of our decks through friends from previous rounds and the first thing he asks me if I would like to draw and take the 2/3 of a box. I tell him no, this was because I was high of joy because I was doing so well. Game 1- He starts off with some good early creatures followed along with some echo creatures. My opening hand consists of 5 land fire ants and the Shivan Helkite I know that if I can throw enough creatures in front of his until I can play the Helkite I can win. I do just so, he brought me down to a low amount of life and kept me from attacking with the Helkite but I slowly picked of his creatures with it and then attacked for the kill and it was over. Game 2- Same deal on his side but this time I am holding some removal 2 1/1 fliers and the pestilence. But when I thought I had him I, he throws down a sleeping enchantment that becomes an Archangel after a creature. At the cost of my pestilence and my arc lightning I kill it and his smaller creatures. Next turn he throws down to life gaining creatures that give him one life for tapping and a creature that can prevent damage from one source upon sacrificing. I then throw down two fliers he holds me back for an extra two turn but dies in the end. I become the Urza Saga prerelease winner of New York Yea! One further thing I would like to mention is that if you think that you have no chance and of winning a large event and you feel it is too hard to get better. Take my example I am fourteen and I have been playing for one and a half years to date. I practiced playing sealed over the summer and got better. In the end I surprised all my friends and some other people, all of which didn't think that I could do it and win. I would like to thank Tony the head judge at the event for convincing me to write this report and giving me a free phone call. Email me at controlboy@mindspring.com Controlbo on IRC ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]