Subject: PTQ Rome report (TradeAwakening) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 13:46:13 GMT From: Jos Schreurs Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy Hello everybody, I went to the PTQ Rome in Tilburg, The Netherlands, yesterday. Since I hadn't attended the previous PTQ I didn't really have a good idea of what to expect. Fortunately that PTQ was won by mono red, so people would be prepared to beat it. I thought this would mean a lot of Death and White Weenie, as well as some CounterPhoenix. The last is the deck I had been toying with the last couple of weeks, along with my TradeAwakening deck. The CP wasn't finished last Wednesday though, so I had to go with TA. The days in between, Thursday to Saturday, I spent at the `Kermis in De Rijp', which is just one big party for three days. I went there with my fellow members of the board of A-Eskwadraat (wow, this sure does sound important in English, although we just ran a study association and had a good time), one of which was born in De Rijp and had told us all about it the past year. Needless to say I wasn't quite awake when our train left Sunday morning at 9 AM. We got there at a little past ten, which gave me plenty of time to register, fill in my deck list and have some breakfast. The tournament started right on time at 11 AM. I took some notes between rounds, but unfortunately can't find them anywhere, so I'll have to do this from memory. My first round was immediately a tough matchup: I played Alexander Witt, playing death. First game I had second turn Allure, so he was afraid to drop his Hermit. He played Survival instead and discarded his Druid some time later. Survival isn't too bad in itself. The Recurring and Death are the cards to counter, which I did, before setting up the Awakening/Capsize lock. Second game took a very long time, in which both of us couldn't get a winning advantage. This changed when he managed to get a Spike counter on his Scragnoth and started to beat down my life and walls. He got an Eagle through, killing my Awakening. We then took a lot of turns in which I beat on him with his Eagle (Dominating Licid is so strong!) and I blocked/Tradewinded my Wall of Blossoms before his Scragnoth could kill me. This went on for some time and I realised I couldn't keep this up, simply because I had too few cards left. Fortunately time was called when we were down to 4 and 6 cards left. In the second round I played Ralph something, a local kid, playing White Weenie. In the first game I got an early Allure, took over a Paladin and just beat him down with a Weaver while I had Tradewind action going on. Second game took a bit longer, because I couldn't find an early Awakening. I played Oath of Druids instead and had some very good draws of it. First try: top deck Tradewind; second try: top deck Tradewind; third try: top deck Tradewind! The Awakening came along and I Capsized/Tradewinded all his land and creatures for an easy win. Third round: Kamiel Cornelissen, playing WW/u. Another White Weenie, now in the hands of a more experienced player. First game I just have a God draw, while he is a bit manascrewed, so I win quickly. The second game is a perfect example of what not to do when you want to go to Rome; Kamiel starts: plains, me Skyshroud Forest, him Plains and Priest, me Pool and Allure, him Plains, Visionary, attack for 2. At this point I'm holding a Capsize, so I thought I'd Capsize the Visionary and the turn after that take over the Priest or the recast Visionary. My turn: untap, draw a card, curse myself for not putting a counter on my Allure, play a land, go. I lose this one and I really shouldn't have. Third game takes a long time, in spite of two Cataclysms. Eventually he recovers faster from the second and I lose. Fourth round: Bardo Versteeg, playing Humility/Prayer. First game he Lobotomies Awakening, but I get Tradewind action and beat him down with a Weaver. Second game si very tight. He again manages to Lobotomize me. This time all I had in my hand were my two Tranquilities, which had to go. I had used three Capsizes early in the game, so when he suddenly cast Humility my Tradewinds were useless. The Prayer came next. He was at four at this time, because of my Weaver. I had Awakening and was Whispering for my last Capsize. Bardo also became aware of the possibilities Awakening offered, but didn't use it to its full extent. I managed to draw a counter and then I capsized his Humility, played a Feeder, moved a spike to a Weaver and attacked with a 5/5 Weaver, which was enough for the kill. I think I should have lost this game, if only Bardo had played a bit more careful and slower. Fifth round against Dave Bax, playing White Weenie. Dave obviously hadn't seen much of Awakening, which worked to his disadvantage. Both games were about the same, with me getting Tradewind/Awakening/Capsize, thus reducing his permanents to zero and beating him down with a Weaver. At the end of the first game he counted my deck and looked through my graveyard, which I found odd, nut since we had enough time, I didn't mind. He wouldn't concede the second game when all he could do in his turn was to play a Soul Warden, which would get bounced along with his plains. I had to do this six turns in a row, during which I beat him down. Sixth round I played against Bas Postema, playing Death. First game he draws nothing and has his fouR walls by turn six. By that time I have Awakening and Capsize and slowly bounce his lands, until he isn't able to play a Recurring Nightmare at which point he concedes. Second game Bas mulligans down to five cards and after that draws a lot of land. I'm happily Whispering after playing two Dominating Licids to take care of his Feeders and when I put my fourth Reflecting Pool into play he calls a judge over to concede, because I have a quartet, which was a good reason to him. Seventh round (of eight) I play against Noah Boeken. Noah is a very good player, who was unfortunately suspended for some time for some stupid reason I can't remember. He should be qualified on PT points, but he told me the system had changed so he hadn't qualified yet. He's playing CounterPhoenix. I knew I would have trouble against CP and in the hands of Noah it was a terrible matchup. First game he gets Forbid/Phoenix going. My Awakening helped him toO, which is probably the main reason CP beats Awakening most of the time. Second game is close. He runs out of counters and I Capsize everything he has. Unfortunately this happens quite late in the game and he has already grinded me several times. I decide to finish playing a Wall of Blossoms and I congratulate him with his comeback performance. Eight round only matters for the prizes. I play against Ben. Ben has come over from Antwerp, Belgium. I'm sorry I can't remember his last name. He played white weenie, my fourth this day. First game I bounce everything he has and win easily. Second game I'm mana screwed and he beats me down. Third game is a damage race between his Monk and my Weaver and Tradewind. His Torture Chamber hurts him a bit and he tortures my Weaver. I can only move two counters to my Tradewind, but it is enough and my Tradewind finishes the job backed up by some counters. I finished 3rd along with Alexander, Bas and Kamiel. All of us have 6 winS and 2 losses and the head judge doesn't want to figure out who is really third since it doesn't matter anyway. Noah wins the tournament undefeated and is back at the Pro Tour scene. I have two qualifiers to go and have good hopes. I just need to tune my deck to compete with CP, which I expect a lot of next time. That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed the report and if you didn't: why are you reading this line? Greetings, Jos ____________________________________________________________________________ Jos Schreurs Always look on the bright side of life... J.W.G.Schreurs@phys.uu.nl