Subject: Urza's Saga Prerelease Report, 9/26/98 Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 10:54:39 -0600 From: mvantyne@juno.com To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com So here's the story of the Colorado prerelease, which was held at Enchanted Grounds, 1915 S. Havana Street. My friend Jake and I showed up there at 8:15 AM, as we'd never seen the place before, and managed to get ourselves registered for the first heat of 122 people. At this time, I'd like to acknowledge the fact that Enchanted Grounds rules - it's got a full-service coffeeshop upstairs and the whole downstairs is a huge tournament center with tables and stuff. Jake and I got through the line early and found a place to hide, but I soon got accosted by a bunch of people looking to be my friend...most notably three guys named Steve. My friends Nate, Travis, Patrick, Ricky, Dave, and Mike are all there, which makes it extra-cool. More silliness - there's not going to be any finals. Third round and fifth round we're playing for a booster pack, and the top 12'll get five packs each. Not too bad. They also have a little silly thing with yellow tickets...everyone got one, and you were supposed to ante them in your games. When you got four, you could go over to the nifty table and roll a die and win stuff. Yay. We finally get our cards and stuff around 10:30, but they tell us we're supposed to just write stuff down and we'll be passing our decks back....but then they retracted the ruling, so here's what I ended up playing: Goblin Raider Goblin Matron Goblin Lackey Goblin Cadets Shower of Sparks 2x Dromosaur (so cute!) Thundering Giant Torch Song (fun fun AND silly willy) Viashino Runner Viashino Outrider Befoul Corrupt 2x Duress (causing one guy to tell me my deck was over-Duressed for the occasion, groan) 2x Unworthy Dead (We're not worthy!) Vile Requiem (growing Dark Banishing, anyone?) Skiterring Skirge Abyssal Horror Cackling Fiend Expunge (aka Up Yours, Serra!) Diabolic Servitude Karn, Silver Golem (Huge!) 7x Mountain 9x Swamp Total: 40 cards. Be proud of me, Sean. Round One Opponent: Phillip Barnes This is some guy from Wyoming, who told me about how he took his son to this tournament. He's nice enough, and we had a nice conversation as I stomped his head in in the first game. Second game, I get a bit too much mana for my own good, and I get beaten. Third game was the most interesting...I got a Goblin Lackey, a Goblin Matron, and a whole wad of other stuff in the opening hand. Here's how it sorta looked: Me: Mountain, Goblin Lackey Him: Swamp Me: Swamp, attack for one, put the Matron into play, go looking for the Raider Him: Swamp, cringe I stomped him, needless to say. Game Record: 2-1 Match Record: 1-0 - I rule Round Two Opponent: Ryan Mollendor He beat me first game...mana is good, but there can be TOO MUCH of a good thing...*sigh* I get smashed. Second and third games, though, it's all about me, and I manage to deliver the kill third game with Karn. Who's a pacfist now, eh? Game Record: 4-2 Match Record: 2-0 - I rule Round Three Opponent: Samuel Watson, who's at his very first tournament ever. The silly guy asks me to take the black sleeves off my cards - I'd put them all in to keep them from getting beat up, which kinda happened at the last prerelease. I look at him funny and comply, even though it's a really ridiculous request. My little talisman, Bob the Techno-Wizard, cannot recognize my deck this round, and in game one, I'm staring down death from a LIghtning Dragon. Guess I shoulda held on to that Befoul...Second game, I still get stomped...too much mana. I'm cranky now and so I go buy myself a Mountain Dew and bitch to people to try and make myself feel better. Game Record: 4-4 Match Record: 2-1 - I suck So I'm complaining about this Sam guy to everyone who'll listen; namely, everyone. :) I get about ten people to tell me I'm right, and find Sam before the next round and yell at him about it. It made me feel a little bit better. I also managed to get eight silly yellow tickets, through strange and silly means, and traded them in for four packs of Urza's Saga. I rule a bit more now. :) Round Four Opponent: Valdis Jodais II, who gets props for having a cool name. I stomp him first game, as the Unworthy Dead prove their worth to me. :) Second game, it's all about him and the silly huge echo creatures that he has. Third game, he managed to plop out an early Opal Gargoyle, and I've got no way to stop flying creatures...so I start a Vile Requiem, also to take care of that damn Acridian and the silly huge 6/6 Wurm he's got out. I take a little bit of damage, but let the Requiem get three counters. Then I summon an Outrider, let the Gargoyle become a creature, and Requiem for three. Boom, he's got nothing, and I own the game now. :) He asked me how old I was too, though I'm not really sure why...silly person. Game record: 6-5 Match record: 3-1 - I rule Round Five Opponent: Sean Jordan I'm back at the table I built my deck at! Yay! Beating this guy is no contest, as he gets spell-screwed first game, and mana-screwed second game. I feel sorry for him, but it's still my win. :) Game record: 8-5 Match record: 4-1 - I rule! Round Six Opponent: Shawn Jackson I'm playing at the first table, only a few seats away from Mr. Eric Kirkman, probably the best player around here. He's the only one with a 5-0 record, and as we're shuffling, he asks me, "What're you DOING up here?" I grinned, shuffled, and got really really nervous...and it showed. First game, I stall out with some HUGE mana pockets....*sigh*. However, Bob kicks in second game, and so does the Vile Requiem. I'm feeling pretty good now...one more win and I've got a decent chance at top 12. Third game, it's all about the Goblin Offensive and the silly one I can't kill...he got me to 8, Offensived for six, then put that huge green armor on one of them. Stupid me, I had a Torch Song growing, and he was at four! I got three counters on it, AND DIDN'T PLAY THE BEFOUL on the huge goblin. I got stomped for nine. Ugh. Game record: 8-7 Match record: 4-2 - I suck After this round, I find Mr. Eric Kirkman and answer his question. "What am I doing at that table? Getting my ass handed to me on a plate, thankyouverymuch!" Sigh. Oh well. My friends make me feel sort of better, in their own silly way. Now I'm never gonna win anything. At this point, I go on a mad trading frenzy, and manage to find all the cards I need for my silly silly black deck (Thanks, Sean!) minus one Bad Moon. And the four Dauthi Warlords I completely forgot about. I also go check the rankings. I'm in 20th place, a lot better than I did at the last prerelease. I'm quite proud of this. Round Seven Opponent: Brian Smith I'm at the second table, which makes me feel special...obviously the deck doesn't share my sentiment. I got really, really stomped. Not just one, but twice. Stupid green echo creatures. Final Game Record: 8-9 Final Match Record: 4-3 - I sorta suck Final standing: 30th, out of 122. This makes me feel sorta good. I found a friend from the last prerelease, and managed to get his email and such. Jake and I hung around until 10:30, when we left to go get my sister from the homecoming dance at my school. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I've just spent fourteen hours in the company of two hundred sweaty guys, and I'm happy about the whole day. It was cool. Props: Jake, for taking me to the tourney in the first place Dave, Mike, Travis, Ricky, and Nate for also showing up The set itself, for being really cool...the lands are very pretty. Enchanted Grounds, for having a nice huge place in which to host this lovely tourney. Everyone who traded me cards for my deck, especially Cody for giving me four Gemstone Mines The prerelease promotional card, for looking really cool Bob the Techno-Wizard, for helping me win at least some of the time Dave (Guys....EEEEYEEWW!!! :) That random kid who gave me a beautiful purple glass counter Barry, the guy who sat next to me in the draft, who took sixth place Mr. Eric Kirkman, just because he's nice My socks, for matching my hat :) And me, for actually building a 40-card deck and doing sort of well with it. Slops: Sam Watson, who made me desleeve Enchanted Grounds, for hosting the main event downstairs in a room with no windows and inadequate ventilation. And for being so far away from me. Stupid kids who wouldn't trade me anything Anyone who built a three-color deck. For the love of God, why??? Steve, for wanting me (EEEEEYEEEEWWW!!!!) Kevin, for calling me ugly Goblin Offensive, for killing me But hey, it was cool. Can't wait until the next one. Mary Van Tyne, aka Livonya The Colorado Division of Team Bad Mojo "May you live in interesting times." Chinese blessing/curse ___________________________________________________________________ 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]