Subject: Urza Pre-Release Report from Columbus OH from Alan Kaiser, 1st place Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 14:58:43 -0400 From: Alan Kaiser To: "'fkusumot@ix.netcom.com'" URZA SAGA PRE-RELEASE COLUMBUS - SATURDAY & SUNDAY by Alan Kaiser Tied for first Saturday at 7-1-1 (4th with tie breaker) Tied for first Sunday at 5-0-2 (1st with tie breaker) With Andon split across three tournaments (PT Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus) I was expecting a poorly run event. I'm glad to report it wasn't. The tournament was held at the Columbus Anthenaeum, a place that initially appeared dark, gloomy, and lousy for good card playing. But the place was full of character, charm and courteous owners and staff. It really grew on me. I would like to see future events there, but only if better lighting is brought in. The cost of the food, which was a last minute thing for them, was reasonably priced. Those who coughed up $2.50 for a can of pop at Origins from a rude, disinterested vendor can appreciate $.50 cans straight from iced coolers and wiped clean for you. Saturday hosted 227 players and while play started a little late, it ran smoothly once it got under way. It should have been 8 rounds, but they threw in a ninth round because they dropped the final 8 play-off. This was a waste as the top six took intentional draws and had to wait another hour before collecting product. We had a six way tie for first (7-1-1) with me finally losing in the eighth round to Doug Lipps' pestilence/pacifism top decking skilz. Doug was beat earlier by a guy who was beat by a guy that I beat. Sort of a 4 way first place thing going on there. All in all, I was very pleased that my deck did that well as the largest critter was a 3/3 and there were a lot of 4/5 and 6/6 fatties floating around. Sunday was a magic players dream day for me. I knew my deck was golden, all I had to do was get the mana mojo flowing my way and not screw up and I was on my way to a second box of Urza's. It was a truly awesome day. I not only went undefeated, but I did not lose a single *game* all day. I only had to paris once and when I did I couldn't have picked 6 better cards for my hand. I think I spent all my good luck for the year in one weekend. We'll see in Toledo. MY DECKS Both days I played green/white/black. With the new 75 card decks containing 6 of each land, Andon elected not to give out the usual 5 additional lands. This forced everyone to play with 3 different mana sources to properly drive a deck. I hope they do not make this "policy" since it will kill any hope of 2 color decks in limited play. The key to Urza's Saga is speed and I went for it big time. I always had critters pouring out of my deck. I was always the first to cast and I was always on the offensive. With my opponents quickly down 10 or so life I found I could be far more aggressive than I could with Rath or Mirage. Any 1 for 1 creature swap always was to my benefit as I had more on the table. I think a lot of players will find that the best creatures don't necessarily make for the best Urza decks. I had better red creatures than green, but they were double red or didn't give me the speed I needed. Also, with cards like Worship (Ali from Cairo on an enchantment, sorta) in my deck, I could afford to take a suicide route, though I only saw Worship in the first 4 rounds and had to win honestly in the last several. My recommendation is to carefully choose your creatures as echo has a huge effect on sealed play. Choose stuff that works together well and go for speed. I went with cheap and fast and it paid off every time. I ignored most cards with double mana requirements and restricted myself to only 1 or 2 double WW, GG or BB spells in the deck. That was critical as many of my opponents died with great cards in hand hoping for just one more plains or mountain. URZA'S SAGA I found echo to be extremely useful in limited play. But I expect it to have only marginal impact on constructed. Some of the creatures, like the Jaguar (2/2 green critter for G w/ echo), are in your opponent's face immediately. I had two Sunday and they gave me the offensive from land one forcing my opponents on a defensive course for the whole game. Another echo card I faced was Herald of Serra (3/4 white flyer, doesn't tap to attack, 3WW w/ echo, rare). This card is ba-rutal. But my Dark Hatchling (its a 3/3 flying nekrataal) smoked it and went on to win for me Saturday. Everything in my Saturday deck cost 4 or less except for that 4BB flying life saver. I found cycling to be of very little benefit in limited play, but I expect it to be put to good use in constructed. Most of the cards with cycling were too important to cycle. The cycling lands, however, were good if drawn late in the game and could be cycled. I found my opponents squirming a lot when they drew that third land and it was a "comes into play tapped" urza land. It was another round of beatdown for me while their 3 costers stayed in their hands. Urza takes some existing cards, tacks on one 1 more colorless, adds cycling, and renames it. Tranquillity becomes Hush, Terror becomes Expunge, etc. Enchantments are huge in Urza limited play. I think the white perpetual one will see constructed play (+1/+2, comes back to owners hand when put into the graveyard from play) and the white one that gives all your creatures +1/+1 for 1WW will replace crusades. Landwalkers are back. There are two 3/3 green ones for islandwalking fun and swampwalking pleasure. Black has a 2/2 swampwalker and red has several mountainwalkers. If you are playing these colors and have no creature removal, kiss your ass goodbye. While the green fatties are uncommon the rest are common I believe. Black, green, and white are strong in sealed. Blue got dumped on. No one in the final 8 either day played blue. Red is only marginally better. There are no kindles, lightning bolts, incinerates or useful direct damage spells. They are all too weak or too restricted (creatures only, sorcery, etc.) For constructed every color seems to have its gems. Most of the really cool spells are rare and that sucks Wizards of Cost! Yo! Stop counting our money and listen up. You're dropping players and that is bad for all of us, you greedy fiends. THE WHIP Humble - 1W, instant, target creature is an 0/1 with no abilities. My opponent looked so dead at 6 life and me attacking with a built up 9/9 trampling regen monster (6/6 echo guy with the 3/3 green enchantment on it). He had a 2/2 blocker, what could be easier than to stomp his scrub ass away? I was so humbled. Worship - "You don't have enchantment removal? Then you better hope I deck out." This card is the definition of "the whip". Let's see, I can't lose by damage and you still can, guess that makes it a little tougher for you. One of my opponents cast the red enchantment Bedlam that said creatures can not be blocked. One second after he cast it I knew I had won (worship was already in play). Two seconds after that he realized it too. Fault Line (I think that's it, don't have one yet) - An instant earthquake for one more red. Naw, this won't see any play. You say your using all your mana to capsize my mountain and tradewind ridering up another at the end of my turn? Boy do I have a surprise for you. Abundance - Lets see, do I want a land or a spell? I think I'll take a spell. Every turn. Never a land draw again. Only spells. Brutal. Absolutely ba-rutal. I'll leave the rest for the reader's discovery, but trust me, in that pile of useless cards are some winners. Look 'em over, you'll see what I'm talking about. PROPS - Darren, Doug, and all the other really cool players who made the draw waits pass with fun. - The owners of the joint for thinking to bring in food at the last minute and to have the decency to charge reasonable prices. - To whoever found a microphone for Brian (head judge). - To whoever brought in the work lights (Hey, my cards have text on 'em!) - To all the players I played who got beatdown in 10 minutes and took it in stride. Its really cool to play people who can lose as well as they win. SLOPS - To whoever didn't scope the joint out and realize: "mo' light poh-leazze!" - To Joseph, the slowest mumbling bore to play the game. You kill your opponents souls with your slow ass, no talk stall. Lesson #1: Say YOUR TURN when your done. Say I'M ATTACKING when you are fiddling creatures. Lesson #2: STOP MISPLAYING CARDS. Thank god I didn't have to play you, but it was torture watching from a distance as my friends were stuck playing you. - To anyone who thought mom worked there and would clean-up after them. Grow up, or something.