Subject: Houston PTQ - T4 Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:05:11 PDT From: "Mason Peatross" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com This weekend Team Houston found itself partially represented at the Chicago PTQ. In attendance were me, Jeff Clark and Leland Simmons. Colin Powell and Alan Tetu headed off for Arkansas, hopefully to abuse some easier players. I suspect many Dallas players did so as well, because no Guildmages were in attendance. The crowd was fairly large with many AustiKnights in attendance, making for an interesting field. Several good Louisiana players also made a showing too. Now I felt really good going into the tournament, because I had playing some pretty good magic of late, and had received three signs that I would do well. The first two signs were two differnet people expressing their "confidence" in me, and both were unexpected but desired. My girlfriend finally came around and said that she believed that I could qualify, and the one and only Bob Coonce said he felt that I could qualify in a Limited tourney. I didnt get excited until I saw a PBS ddocumentary called Triumph of the Nerds. In it, the one and only Steve Wozniak proclaimed is love for a card game called Magic. Wow. Thats like a sign from God... assuming God is a nerd. :) Now I received a good deck, which I equated with the Houston Astros. It was solid all around, with no huge, completely broken card I t gave me a chance to win every match. From memory it had: Soul Warden, Anoint, Soltari Foot Soldier and Lancer, Rolling Thunder, Sonic Burst, Shock, Some red creatures, Phyrexian Splicer, Tempting Licid, Skyshroud Troll, and some other good green stuff, including an Overrun. I ended up siding the Overrun out most games to put in Blood Frenzy. Rounds 1-4 Well, I was pretty happy about every one of my rounds. almost every round went the full time, as each one of my opponents played to the maximum of their ability. I felt like each round I played without many mistakes, and I went 4-0, losing three games. Key play - One opponent has equilibrium, Winds of Rath, and Evacuation. He is equil in play, I roll his side of the table, he evacuates in response. Now, I have to discard creatures, and he bounces mine as I lay them. So you lost right? Well, no... Holy Pikula! He ended up running out of creatures to cast. I layed a bunch of fat and Overran him for 19. Oww. Round 5 against DeQuan from Waco. Now before our match I overheard that DeQuan had not lost a GAME yet. Wow. I was a little intimidated about his deck. Then I found out why. Cursed Scroll. Well, hey, that kills everything in my deck. Then I realized that well, thats what Shattering Pulse is for, right? So our first game takes quite a while, with me holding on for longer than expected. The second game I get him on the ropes pretty quickly because he doesnt draw the scoll. Hes at 2 when he achieves parity through Change of Heart and Corrupting Licid tricks. He could have gotten closer by realizing the by throwing the Licid on his standing troops, and attacking for one every turn. Key play: I attack, he DOESNT change of heart, which is bad, and then blocks with his Keeper of the dead. My Troll is gonna maul it until he Tempers the damage. That would be pretty hard for me to deal with so I Anoint in response! Wow, Duelist, where are you? we draw it out until I only have six cards left in my library and I draw the Roll. I attack, he taps out to protect himself, and I Roll him for like fifty, just for effect :) Afetr that we only had like five minutes left, so we didnt bother with a third game. Round 6 - Jeff Clark Matched against a teammate sucks, especially since Jeff is already down a match, and can't afford a draw or loss. If I draw, I have to win, If I lose, I have to win, If I win, I can draw. The only diplomatic, fair thing to do is play it out, and Jeff CRUSHES me. ouch. The games took a total of five minutes. Round 7 - Ryan Fishbeck Well, here we go - loser out, winner in. I was looking for a little revenge since Ryan has beaten me in all our previous sanctioned matches, but turns down my ante challenges. He says, lets play for ante, I say, lets play for decks. He doesnt want to. Oh well. Previously I had lost Bloom vs 5CU, when I go, Balance, Balance, Meditate - 3 land and a Meditate, Meditate - 4 land. Doh! It didnt help that in the other game he countered EVERY spell I cast. Time for revenge. He goes Mtn, Raging Goblin. I go Plains Soul Warden, shake. He never laid a non -mountain, so I dndt see the rest of his deck. The next game I pull out an improbable victory but I can't remmeber the reason. I make the final eight as the number 7 seed, and realize that I will playing AustiKnight Pierre Tsai, who I know is quite a good player, and unforgiving of mistakes. Unfortunately he is sitting to the left of Bill Macey and Andrew Johnson, so he isnt able to draft much of a deck. The problem is that he is not a defensive drafter and neither is Bill Macey, so I imagine that Andrew is going to havea pretty good litlle deck. To my right were Jeff from Louisiana, random guys one and two. To my left was random guy number three, and then bioll and andrew, etc... 'First pick something, second pick root hunter, and downhill from there. I didnt see any good tempest. My stronghold picks revolved around flying beatings, but I could only get cloud spirits. Apparently someone else was choking off the blue. then Exodus gives me a second pick equilibrium, and so on. So my deck isnt bad, but I would call it good. I ended up with almost all solid mid range creatures, but only a single death stroke for elim, and the equilibrium. 21 creatures. Quarters: Pierre Tsai First game i use equilibrium to constantly return his fatness to his hand, using a merfolk looter to draw plenty of creatures, kill with the wayward soul beating. It didnt help that he drew like three-quarters of his land. Next game I have a slow start and I never recover. Nothing in my deck could block a rabid wolverines and live. Third game I go third turn equilibrium, fifth turn insight, and Pierre could not recover from the massive card disadvantage. Semis-Andrew Johnson Ugh. Two quick beatings reminded me that I need more practice in booster draft. Of course He got first pick Roll, second pick Master Decoy, Last pick Advance Scout. Whatever. Each game he had the Decoy out by turn four, and it would just be beatings from then on. Props- Bill Macey for making the final eight with the pile of junk you had. all of my opponents for being so gracious. Slops- Tim for not assigning the match loss earlier. Albie for not calling the judge to verify your deck list in the first place. See you next time. ----------------------------------------------------------- Mason Peatross M:TG Ironman - Spokesmodel, Team Houston "Of *course* I won. I copied this deck off Usenet yesterday and you copied yours a week ago." -Alex Shvartsman ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com