Subject: Dragon-Con PTQ Rome Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 15:51:58 PDT From: "Taerthrum Bluett" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Just got back from Dragon-Con, had a hell of an awesome time, and had promised my friend to write a PTQ report, so here the damn thing is. Actually, I'll probably make this more of a Con re-trip, so if that bores you, go to hell. We actually had a team once, Lost Souls, but that has kinda fragmented down to a couple of friends, so the trip began with John, Gaura, and I. We had built and tried all the 'Dojo' decks, experimented with drugs, and tried random animal testings, but still no closer to an idea of what we were going to play. Gaura had leaned towards Orim/Humble, and John Sligh, and I really liked ProsBloom, but alas, I didn't have four prosperities, so that was out. Anyways... We show up at the gaming center at the Con around 4 in the morning, all zoned up, and realize that there is no one around. This lack of people would continue for the entire weekend - I'm pretty sure there were only around sixty people for this two slot event! So we're walking around, and if you've ever gone to a tourney, there are always cards laying around, so you check them out. Wood elemental. Hmm. Pheldagriff. Another one. Triangle of War. I collected about fifteen of the weirdest rares out there. So an hour later, I'm talking to this guy who collects Phelds. Next thing I know, I have a Tradewind after I gave him the Phelds and two other cards. Then I found the guy who needed an Elemental, and I have another great card. I ended up (from that pile o' pile) with tradewinds, wrath, earthquake, and others. With like no effort. Cons just rock. So the day is going along with dealer rooms, a little Titan and Talisman action, signings, and a whole lot of watching. The great thing about Dragon-Con is that it's everybody's release from their hum-drum normality. Here is that one time of the year girls wear leather and chains and plastic and little shiny pointy things. Monks and aliens and psycho-nuns are all around; down in the dealer rooms the hottest Scina-Flix type stars are signing autographs. It's a total weekend heaven for the warped and perverted (fortunately, I'm a lifetime member ;) We start seeing people we know once the day progresses, see Tally team and Goodfellas. I hook up with Josh (yes, he might returnith),Kyle, Randy, Aziz and all the others, and our teams combine into one big Voltron team determined to get great amounts of alcohol and get uglier than Linda Tripp. Bottle of vodka, bottle of rum, another bottle of rum, some OJ for mixing. And of course, can't forget the two bottles of Boones. Meeting girls, drinking, meeting, drinking some more, GWAR!!! (Maggots are falling like rain!), more girls... all I know, Gaura is waking me up at nine-something, some tournament that we have to go to, and I'm comfortably attached to the floor. My hair is purple (we dyed our hair, right?), I'm very hung over, I look like hell, and I have no deck. This is what stumbles into the gaming center to qualify for Rome. Fortunately, there is still some rum and vodka in my backpack, so all is not lost. For the past weeks, I've had this deck in the back of my mind, add a card, subtract one, so in the end I decide that that is it. It's not total rogue, but a pretty well-rounded 4 color recurr/counter deck that has a little of all, but very solid. Truth be told, this deck has no archetype, and is almost given a bye if it plays any Humil/Orim or Living deck. I put it together, add the sideboard, and am getting ready. Kyle stops by, in my boat, but decides to go for a Hatred deck. Borrows some cards and sleeves. John and Gaura stick to their original choices. Round 1: I get a bye. Sweeet. I'm so hungry I can eat a vegetarian. So I saunter off towards McD's (yes, I have left the building) when Kyle runs out and tells me I have to play him (he was a little late registering). Dreams of french fries run rampant, so I sulk heavily, but we go back in and I give Kyle his first round bye. Yep, I go down like a true Lewinsky. Just a bad hand first game, and I keep a Forest/Wall/Wall/Wall hand the second. No land for seven turns. Kyle? Swamp. Swamp/Ritual/Beatings. Beatings with Armor of Beatings. Then biff, smack, and boom. I think Kyle let me start at like fourty life just so I had a chance, but it didn't help. Round 2: (Editor's note: by this time, I was playing my combo Can of Coke / Vodka / Rum drink, so my rememberings might be a little weak.) White weenie/Caty. First game goes with some damage taken, and then a Weaver recur stall, to where I take control and win. If you are playing WW, make sure you can handle the Weaver. Second game was an allowed Cataclysm, where I was holding some land, and 3 turns later Queened my Force for the win. Round 3: Sligh. Dojo ditto, so no new tech, but a fourth turn kill is still that. Course, a counter is still a counter, so no big deal. Bombardment is a pain, though. Round 4: Orim/Humil Bye : Simply put, Counters + Eagle + Volrath's + Recur = Bye. Round 5: Living Death - get my Survival, fill graveyard, and Death is countered already. A little recursive, and Death has lost. Round 6: Orim/Humil : Unfortunately, Gaura and I meet in a Celebrity DeathMatch. He played great, but the Volrath was too powerful. Finals (7) : Death/Blue (tradewinds, lobos) This was a good matchup, but I didn't feel a whole lot of pressure because I can equal Death's creatures in the yard, and then grab one or two and apply Beatings. Both games ended with him holding uncastable (as in 'You're stupid if you cast this') Living Deaths. Finals (8) : B/R weenie, Volraths, Surgeon, Pact, Bombardment Evil Stuff. This deck was a wierd one that I liked a lot. It really didn't beat you down, it was more of a B/R control deck. Early in first game, everone saying I've lost, I'm in a Surgeon/Pact/Volrath's lock (realllly annoying). A surgeon a turn, ugh. So I have to play a recur on my turn, and wait till next turn to use, etc. Always have it in play during his turn, cause my hand was his for the taking. I was able to work into my 3 mana Whispers, and pull out for the win. Second game sees me at a 4 card hand after many mulligans, and that has an eventuality to it that I'm sure you can guess. Game 3 is like this: 6 minutes left, win determined by life, and he slams me with a corpse danced fanatic (no buyback), an assassin, and a gnomes, sacs the mog, and sacks the gnomes to give me his jinxed idol. I'm at one. No creatures, die during upkeep, if not the assassin, not good. I go survivalling for my tim, and get him into my yard. Untap. Upkeep - corpse tim, ping assassin, sac tim to idol. Ok. Draw a card, and say I'm done, oh, and by the way, you will die to your own idol. (Don't draw a creature, don't draw a creature.) He takes two (at 18, yah!), draws a card, looks for a sec, and is done. I untap, draw an eagle (kool). Done. He takes two, and tries to drop a Surgeon for the win. I pimp slap him with my forbid, and survival for a feeder. Even draw a forest so I don't take damage playing him. Kick. Play... ok. I am now sorta at five. Take 2! He's done. My turn, in response to drawing, I reclaim the Dance, and that is game. Hit for 2, gain 4, you lose 2. So I'm going to Rome. Finals would have been with Tim, but we decided to split. Great guy with a Sligh deck. And so the Con continues! We kill the bottles and acquire more, see the Misfits and other great shows, more girls and partying. I did some massive trading and buying for my self and friends, even made a little money. Got some cards signed (Kaja is a cutie), discovered what's current (and I already have 2 stripper-signed cards for my deck, Dallas and Jessica). (This means nothing except to those who know what it means, so don't worry about it.;) A great weekend, and I can't wait till next year. It was all about the Con - the PTQ was just icing. Awesome icing, for sure. Some random thunkings: Don't forget about Volrath's: stock up on at least one wasteland, maybe two. Death is huge, but Survival, Looter, Altar, Bombard can all turn it more into a liability. Suicide does get 2nd turn kills!! Alot!! No matter what your deck, you can die to their great draw. Same with red, but they go off on four, so you can avoid that at times. Learn and know the Awakening, and 'Craft. (But to be fair, my win was only against 60 people, so it might have been total luck and the right matches, so what the hell do I know?;) There, I wrote the damn thing. Can I get my drink back! Taerthrum ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com