Subject: PTQ Chicago @ Phoenix 8-1-98 Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 12:40:36 EDT From: TooClutch@aol.com To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Driving around 5 hours from Riverside to Phoenix wasn't all too bad. My friends Justin and Brian drove with me to Phoenix Friday night and we landed in our hotel room somewhere just after midnight. We watched tv for some time as we were all bushed, but I know all of you have had those "day of a tourney" butterflies in your stomach. We get up early and with a little help from my friends I get in the shower and finally get ready...the picked me up, threw me in the shower and were about to turn on the water with my clothes on. The tournament was held at Arizona State West campus. At 9 in the morning the sun was already beating down on the earth...a sweltering 95 degrees that early. Good thing the "La Sala" room was nice and the air- conditioning was going. We walk in and notice that there were actually alot of people here. I really didn't think that we would have more than 50 or so people, but ended up being just under 110 participants. We finally get seated and register the decks. My deck isn't the greatest, but has some potential with big, green fatties and also a Flame Wave. Everyone registers their decks and we go outside. Andera Kunstt is the head judge of this event along with Dan Gray...two of the nicest people you will ever meet (ohh...but Andrea was a big stickler for the rules...get to that later). Andrea so nicely has people sit down and mixes up the way you are usually determined if you keep your deck or not. She had people at the different tables either pass their decks across, people move one seat right or left, and keep their decks. Well, for some strange reason I felt I was going to get my deck back and sure enough Andrea was so nice to do just that. I instantly knew I was playing red with the Flame Wave. Pulling my cards out once again I had a huge delimma...do I play green with the huge phat or do I play the black? My black consisted of Dark Banishing, Clot Sliver, Disturbed Burial, Death's Duet, and also the Acidic Sliver. White was really good and so was my red. I knew I was playing those, but didnt have enough "Umph" to play 2 colors even though I had plenty of extra lands. I choose black for the Banishing, the Slivers, and the graveyard manipulation. This is what I play: 1 Soul Warden - gained me SO much life during the day, especially in some key games. 1 Soltari Visionary - he is Shadow, but I didn't blow up any enchantments. 1 Talon Sliver - he helped his other Slivers and was sacrificable. 1 Mounted Archers - good against flying 1 Youthful Knight - good 2nd turn creature 1 Wall of Nets - didn't help much...when I got him, people had Shadow and flying 1 Peace of Mind - helped out tremendously in a few games 1 Flickering Ward - it helped, but not too greatly 1 Samite Blessing - should not have played this. I sideboarded it out every game. 1 Spitting Hydra - Very cool creature. Big and kills lots of shadows 1 Mogg Fanatics - need I say more? 1 Flowstone Salamander - at 3/4 is one of my biggest fatties 1 Craven Giant - creature killer 1 Wall of Diffusion - 2nd best wall in the cycle 1 Heart Sliver - not a great creature, but with 4 Slivers in the deck, it works well. 1 Flame Wave - my card for the day 1 Clot Sliver - regenerating his fellow Slivers saved me plenty 1 Dauthi Horror - good Shadow and creature for 2. 1 Disturbed Burial - with Slivers, Fanatic, Hydra, Bottle Gnomes...sweet!! 1 Death's Duet - get 2 creatures back for 3...pretty strong 1 Dark Banishing - always good, but didn't use it much 1 Acidic Sliver - helped bring my opponents down well with his kin. 1 Bottle Gnomes - I think this is a pretty good creature... :-)~ 6 Plains 6 Mountains 3 Swamps 1 Salt Flats 1 Cinder Marsh The cards I sideboarded in were pretty good. One of the biggest reasons I played white: Light of Day C.O.P. Shadow C.O.P. Green Coiled Tinviper - should have been in instead of Samite Blessing Shatter Round 1 First game I drop 2nd, 3rd, and 4th turn Slivers. I quickly get him down in life by sacing the Slivers till he is at 2. I wait for his blue to become tapped and drop the Flame Wave on him. Game 2, much the same...2nd, 3rd, 4th turn Slivers. I get him down by sacing them, cast Flame Wave when his blue is tapped clearing his side and next turn finish him off. Match 1-0, Games 2-0 Round 2 I play against a guy from Mexico City. First game I beat him severly dropping 1st turn Soul Warden. He gets his fatties going, but I have too big of a jump on him. 2nd game he wins...if I only had 1 more Mountain for the Flame Wave I was holding. 3rd game he gets a HUGE mana screw, but all I can get are 2 Slivers that apply some beatdown. I get him to about 10 before he gets land. With less than 10 minutes to go, my opponent sits for almost 5 minutes contemplating whether to buyback his Searing Touch...at least he says. I ask him to hurry while Andrea sits and watches our match. She gives him a "notice of warning" for not doing ANYTHING for over 4 and 1/2 minutes. I screw up by not just Disturbed Burial buyback/ Acidic Sliver/ sac it for 2...the game draws and I am fuming. Gustavo tells me that I should be happy for getting a draw against his deck because he thinks it is easily a better deck and that he got mana screwed. Gustavo did go 5-0-2, but I should have beaten him. Match 1-0-1, Games 3-1-1 Round 3 I get sorta mana screwed with only a Plains out with a Mountain and Swamp, but I have the Visionary and Wall of Nets in my hand...really doesnt matther when your opponent goes Seething Anger buyback/ Seething Anger/ attack for 9/ Fling...Game 2 again I am 1 Mountain short from clearing the board and make a comeback with Flame Wave in my hand. Match 1-1-1, games 3-3-1 Right now I know it is do or die. I have to win my remaining 4 matches to have a CHANCE at top 8. 5-1-1 is likely to make it, but don't know how many will be there in the end. Round 4 I play the owner of the Jester's Court in Phoenix and I had a great time playing him. A really nice guy and a great competitor. Both games Flame Wave does his creatures in and mine come over for the kill. Match 2-1-1 Games 5-3-1 Round 5 I play a younger kid, probably 16 from Tucson. Both games went fairly quick, but the sad thing was he had mana troubles both games. A 1st turn Soul Warden and then a Sliver beatdown game 2 with Flame Wave for the kill gave me the match. Match 3-1-1 Games 7-3-1 Round 6 Me and this guy have been playing next to each other all day, but finally had to play each other. The guy I drew with in Round 2 sat next to us to play and he picked the other guy to win since Gustavo had played us both. First game I dropped 1st turn Soul Warden and that was enough said. I just kept playing creatures, sacing my Slivers, getting them back and beat him. Second game was close. I tried for the win and got it when I attacked leaving nothing behind and puting his life very low. He drew and needed his 6th land to let a Lighning Elemental go and Fling it at me for the win...no 6th land. How so badly I wanted to say "HAH...I beat him!! What do you think about that???", yet I shook my opponents hand, took my win, and went to Brian Hacker for advice in Rochester...I was feeling confident. :-) Match 4-1-1 Games 9-3-1 Round 7 I play a guy that has no chance in making top 8 since he is 4-2. Very much I wanted to beg and plead with him to give me the win because I am 99% sure I will make top 8 with this win. We play and wouldn't you guess...1st turn Soul Warden. This 1 cc common got me into the top 8. Because of this first turn I had gained just enough life to beat him first game. I was at 5 and he at 1. I had more creature than he did, but he had Shadows and a flier. He attacked with all of his creature for 10, but I had my Peace of Mind on the board and 2 cards in hand. Ditch 2 cards for 6 life...I am at 11...take 10...I am at 1. He knew that would happen and so did I, but he still did it. Game 2...first turn..no Soul Warden, but on my 2nd turn I draw it and play. The game goes down to me attacking over and over with him sacing his Bottle Gnomes that he Disturbed Burialed over and over. I was at 27 with the 2nd turn Warden to his 1. He concedes. Match 5-1-1 Games 11-3-1 Names are called alphabetically and mine is called. I think I barely make it in at 8th spot. Hacker told me to go White/Blue. He said with the evasion, shadow, and creature control of the 2 colors it is the best way to go. First pack is opened and no blue or white is barely in the pack let alone to me in the 5th pick. I grab a Diabolic Edict to start...here is what my finals deck consists of: 1 Tradewind Rider - this was my 1st pick in my opening pack...not too shabby. 2 Wayward Soul - another good flying beatdown card 2 Tidal Warrior - I drafted 3, but used 2...worked some. 1 Cloud Spirit - good flying creature 1 Giant Crab - decent fatty 1 Wind Drake - another flier 1 Dream Prowler - big blocker 1 Thalakos Scout - Shadow 1 Thalakos Seer - another Shadow 2 Counterspell - need not say more 3 Mana Leaks - almost had a 4th 1 Dungeon Shade - a pumpable flier 1 Rabid Rats - decent creature 1 Recurring Nightmare - you thought you killed my Tradewind!! 1 Disturbed Burial - too good 1 Lab Rats - little chumpers 1 Shifting Wall - can get pretty nasty 1 Echo Chamber - good with the Recurring Nightmare 10 Islands 6 Swamps 1 Volrath's Stronghold - again not too shabby and you still think you have killed my Tradewind? Man I couldn't believe the notices and warnings Andrea had given to me and the others. Everything was completely fair, but I just picked up the card to look at its picture AFTER I had drafted it and she gave me a warning for that. All I can say is I won't be doing that again. Quarterfinals I play against the guy from Vegas that was to the left of me. I knew that I passed on a Shock, Rolling Thunder, Lighning Blast, and I believe a Kindle...hopefully I draw my Counterspells early. First game I get the Tidal Warrior action going and drop a Wayward Soul. No Counterspells in hand as he plays his Rolling Thunder killing my creatures. His beatdown comes faster than mine. Second game I get out quick again, but in the end I leave him at 1. I am at 9 so he hits me with the Keeper of the Flame, sacs his Fantaic, hits me with the Mage-il-Vec and attacks me with his Alligator with Maniacal Rage putting me at exactly 0. Match 5-2-1 Games 11-5-1 I am very happy where I placed especially with the deck I had. People think Slivers are stupid, but when you got toys to keep using them, then they work well. I didn't see who won because it was a long drive back home that we made right after I had lost. Props: Andrea and Dan for running a clean tournanemt...just remember the land next time guys. Justin and Brian for going with me and keeping me awake while I drove some of the way. To most of my opponents. Everyone was really cool and enjoyed playing with you. Slops: Sorry Gustavo, but you need to learn some sportsmanship. Not tell your opponent he is lucky he got a draw and your deck is better. I can stall too and get a draw and say that to anyone. Get real. Thanks everyone for reading my post. I had a good time and hopefully will see you in Costa in a few weeks for my next run. Matthew Collier Riverside, Ca