Subject: PTQ NJ Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 14:41:54 -0400 From: dan To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Hello all, this is a report for the PTQ that was held at Shorecon '98 in Cherry Hill New Jersey. The tournament took place on Saturday, the 19th. Eric Turnquist and I got there to the Hilton at a little after 9:30 with our decks and deck lists ready (typing decklists the night before the tournament is a tremendous idea by the way. It lessens the chance of error by a ton.) We hung out talking to Joel Priest for a little bit, then I ran into James and Pat Casey (no relation). Joel was playing oath of ghouls, Jaime was playing a rouge deck that I don't want to mention and Pat was playing Counter Phoenix. We talked for a while and then they put up the pairings for round 1 Round 1: I played against WW game 1: Game 1 was fairly quick. He got about 6-8 creatures into play (read this as over commitment) his hand was down to 1 or 2 cards and I living deathed. Suddenly he was staring at two tradewinds 3 walls and verdant force. Game game 2: Game 2 was beatings. Absolute beatings... on the wrong side of the board. I almost pulled it out but a well timed cataclysm ended me :-( On to game 3. game 3 This was by far the most interesting game of the match. It was back and forth for most of the game. At one point he was at 11 and I was at 2. He had two soltari monks with flickering ward on them and cast winds of rath. He did this then looked over at me, expectimg me to scoop. I cast living death during my turn bringing back my spike weaver, spike feeder, hermit druid and wall of blossoms. It goes back and forth like this for the next three turns (three winds of rath, three living deaths... sometimes this game is soooo dumb) After these turns the total was still 11 - 2 in his favor, but I drew a recurring nightmare. His only hope at this point was cataclysm as I had infinite fog... unfortanetly (for him) his cataclysms were all sitting next to his deck in the removed from game pile (I love lobotomy) I infine fogged him until I got out a timmy and then pinged him to death. Round 1: 1-0 Eric also won his round, Pat lost his and Jaime drew his Round 2: I play against counter phoneix (Skye Tomsen) Game 1: I get him down to about 5 before he clears the board and forbid locks me. Game 2: The wierdest game of the day. I get absolute beatings going on and get him to 3. He is going to die this turn but he phoenix kills my weaver and weaver (Long story but he cleared the board using a phoenix and a mogg fanatic) After my attack phase I cast lobotomy and get his phoenix (yay :-) ) He thinks about scooping for a moment then decides not to as he had portcullis in his deck. I am thinking game 3 already as thats all I need is 1 creature to win, well 1 creature that is not a wall of blossoms. However I drew wall of blossoms, lots of them... lots of them... and then will lots of wall of blossoms in play he casts portcullis... I am thinking game, but we count libraries and I have him by 5 cards, that is, until he gets scroll rack... also known as you can't deck me So I lost right? Well, I should have... I really... really should have. But I didn't... kind of. You see, the head judge (Elaine, a really nice person and a really good judge) screams (at the top of her lungs) Pro Tour Qualifier there is five minutes left, and then inexplicably, my opponent scoops. Yep, Sky scooped. Skye is a really nice guy, don't get me wrong and I appreciate him doing it (although I can't figure out why he did) but too make this long story a bit shorter, He gave me the game... which leads too... Game 3: First turn forest Mox diamond discard reflecting pool play survival of the fittest. Him mountain go. Me play a land go. Him island go. In his discard phase I activate survival discard wall to go get verdant force, discard force to go get wall. Untap draw. I cast wall and say go. He plays another mountain. I draw cast recurring nightmare and bring out Verdant force. Elaine comes over and watches the rest of our game... but in the end I won. Round 2: 2-0 :-) Eric lost to sligh. Humble prayer should not... should not lose to sligh. Jaime drew again (0-0-2 is not a good start) Pat won this won (1-1) Round 3: Against WW (John Fuller.. made top 8) game 1: Third turn lobotomy gets his cataclysms and living death delivers sever beatings in the form of spike weaver verdant force and three spike feeders game2: He keeps a 1 land draw and throws out some 1/1's he gets up to three lands but I get triple (triple!!!!!) tradewind action going off a living death. He can not recover from that and I kill him with a revenant. Round 3: 3-0 (I was incredibly exiting at this point) Eric wins again and is feeling a little bit better. We go to get some food ad discuss the field a little bit. I don't know what Jaime or Pat did at this point, but I know that they dropped not long after this. Round 4: Against a really really wierd r/w/g deck. this deck had everything in it Shard Phoenix, Wall of blossoms, soul warden, master decoy, fireslinger and Cataclysm (I have no idea... I don't think it was a rouge deck, I think it was a rouge player) I don't know how, but aget he figures out I'm playing living death he tells me he played against death in his two earlier rounds and beat it. ( I don't know hiw deck beat anything that wasn't mono white or mono black but hey who am I to argue) game 1: He gets some creatures I get some creatures. Mine are bigger and can keep coming back... His don't. I win. game 2: More of the same... and I lobo out his catacylsms. I win. Note: I hope this person is reading this artice, and I hop he remembers playing me. I meant no insult when I say what I say about his deck, or by the lack of time I spent on describing this match. 4-0 (Ecstatic and pretty sure that I am a lock for top 8) Eric wins again (yes!) After round 4 they put up rankings. I was among 4 of those who are undefeted. We all get together for a minute, do the math and decide to draw in from here. Round 5 Roger Sorino playing (I don't know.... yet) We ID 4-0-1 Eric loses. Damn. Round 6: I play Mark Frey 4-0-2 Eric wins and finishes 12th Now I wait for over an hour and try to calm down. Top 8 Pat Johnson Dan OMS Dan Ford (me) Roger Sorino Mike Pulstink Mark Frey John Fuller and some guy whose name I can not remember. Elaine takes us to the side and goes over some basic information then we get the parings I play Roger Sorino (I was 4th seed he was 5th) Round of 8 Roger Sorino (playing Humilty/Prayer) Game 1: I get third turn Lobotomy and get his orim's prayers (the key against living death is Ormis prayer) he gets the humilty out but I just keep chugging and I win before he can grind me out. Game 2: I mulligan and come up with this hand : swamp,forest,oath of ghouls,thrull surgeon,recurring nightmare,wall of blossoms. It takes me about 7 turns to get a third land and He gets the combo going. I try and get cloudchasers rolling, but at one point I have one in my hand and he gets a lobo off. thats game. Game 3: At this point I go back to my sideboard and get my mana leaks. I am sitting there thinking "I playtested this match for hours last night and at the end it was the person who played first that always won... I should win." This is game was tremedous. I get two early tradewinds that I am attaking with. I get him down to about 8, but never see a third creature. I had already mana leaked a lobo and a humility. He playes a second humilty and I keep chugging. I get him to 6. He drops a prayer. I draw a cloudchaser. I drop it out and he counters. at the end of my turn he capsizies my diamond (my only source of white mana). During my turn I go lobotomy, oath of ghouls, nightmare. He counters them all. He now has 1 forbid in his hand and nothing else. He draws up. I go, cast living death (now with both eagles in the graveyard (he counters with forbid... now I know he has nothing else in his hand. He goes. I go cast recurring nightmare ( So I win right?... not quite.. he drew another forbid.) the game goes for a little while but he wins. This game was great though... he just showed a little more top deck skills then I did. (if I had drawn a third creature or another mana leak in the early game I would have won. I didn't. If he doesn't draw that third forbid he loses. He did.) All in all it was a really good day and I know just enough about how I want to change my deck. Props: Eric Turnquist- Without your cards, your car and your help I never would have played so well (or at all for that matter :-) ) Phil Keffer- For some good ideas for the deck and for being a good friend John Shuler- Rootbreak-You Wurm. Thats all I have to say about that. Skye Tomsen- For being a nice guy and a good player. Good luck in your future endeavors John Fuller- For making top 8 in his second Qualifier John Finkle- for the deck man, I changed it a bit. But it is absolutly awesome tech Roger Sorino- For being a good player and nice guy. I hope you won the spot man Phoenix- for being cool Fran- for playing the wierdest deck I have ever... ever seen... What does this teach us about rouge decks?? Dorian- For being a good player, a good judge and fun person to talk to (so , did you like my hair?) Slops: Phil Keffer- for not being able to go. Give up that soccer stuff man, its not good for your magic career :-) Jaime Casey- For playing some wierd deck and not doing well. What does this teach us about playing rouge decks?? hmm??? Pat Casey- For not talking Jaime out of playing that monstrosity he was playing Well thats all for now. Hopefully I'll have a reason to right one of these things again in a couple of weeks. Dan Ford Team Nopros (maybe... Hey Eric do we have a team yet??? )