Subject: Tournament Report Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 23:42:10 -0400 From: Michael Aten To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com I was bored so I decided to write a tourney report. This will be a somewhat strange report, so some background information is in order. I roomed with Jason Opalka at Origins. When he woke from his hibernation Sunday morning, the creature wondered about the location of his WW Mox/Tithe. I knew it had been on the table next to the bed, and since it was no longer there, I assumed my brother had packed it up with our stuff. I told him I'd get it to him on Tuesday (the day of the tourney). But I couldn't find the deck, and I went to Reality Recess empty-handed (except for my deck), with the assumption that he'd have a backup deck anyway. He didn't. I felt responsible for the absence of his deck (even though I soon discovered I wasn't), so after much deliberation, I let him use mine under the condition that if he finished in the money, he'd give me $5.00 store credit. Here's the deck. It is very, very slightly modified from Bryce Currence's Top 4 Nationals deck. As a matter of fact, the only difference is that three Winter's Grasps are switched in from the SB and the cards they replaced are put into the SB. Stampede! 4 Stampeding Wildebeests 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Spike Feeder 3 Spike Weaver 1 Uktabi Orangutan 3 Wall of Blossoms 3 Wall of Roots 4 Creeping Mold 4 Cursed Scroll 3 Desert Twister 4 Eladamri's Vineyard 1 Survival of the Fittest 15 Forest 4 Wasteland SIDEBOARD 4 Emerald Charm 2 Null Brooch 3 Scragnoth 1 Survival of the Fittest 2 Uktabi Orangutan 1 Winter's Grasp 1 Wall of Roots 1 Spike Weaver Unfortunately, I only own 3 Spike Weavers, so the one in the side was switched for the only remotely sideboardish card I could find--a Recess player's Primal Order. No, there is not going to be some success story involving this card; it was a worthless pile. On another note, I HATE copying decks card-for-card off the Dojo, but I really love this deck. Opalka really loves the deck too, he said. Round 1 Jason Opalka vs. Some Guy playing WW I didn't really see much of this match. I was called over by a spectator watching the match just in time to see Oompa Desert Twister an Empyrial Armored shadow. That card is amazing when you have the mana to cast it! Vineyard is key. 1-0 Round 2 Jason Opalka vs. John Lee playing ProsperBloom This match was nowhere near fair. I saw the second game only, but the first game went the same way. Oompa destroyed the first five lands John Lee played, and could have destroyed two more. Lee never got above two lands, never had a chance, and quickly conceded. I had no idea that the monogreen deck would HOUSE Bloom that badly. 2-0 Round 3 Jason Opalka vs. my good friend Erik Jones (playing Forbidian) I watched this match. Opalka had miserable draws every game. Despite that fact, they traded the first two game and went onto the third. With various Vineyards draining his life, Erik soon found himself at 1. Opalka had Scragnoth, but Erik had two Meekstones and three green walls. Opalka had a scroll in hand and would spend the next several turns hoping for another instant-win card, such as another scroll, to capitalize on Erik's going down to two blue mana every turn. On what would be the last turn of the game, Erik realized he could attack with everything and swarm Erik. He cast Man-o'-War using Vineyard mana and Sapphire Medallion, then turned all his creature cards sideways. Expression unchanging, Opalka extended his hand to the blue player. In his excitement to end the match, Erik had neglected to cast Whispers of the Muse to drain his mana pool of green prior to the attack phase. He died as soon as he declared his attack. 3-0 Round 4 Jason Opalka vs. Worth Wollpert playing the infamous Deadguy Red Worth got good draws every game, despite Opalka's belief that shuffling Worth's deck was the key to victory. The verbal battle was, as usual, much more entertaining than the physical one. Opalka pulled out the first game by being good enough to draw three Spike Feeders (That's all skill). He then lost the next two and slumped in his chair, depressed and disilllusioned with the game as a whole. 3-1 Semifinals Jason Opalka vs. Some Other Guy playing draw-mill-go This was an easy match, as the other guy had few ways to deal with permanents once they reach play. On a side note, Grindstone is horrible! Gaea's Blessing, anyone??! 4-1 Finals Jason Opalka vs. Worth Wollpert traditional reality recess no game I used my store credit to buy two packs of Exodus. I got a Hatred and an Equilibrium. Not bad for a day's work. No e-mails, please-- my email is down. "Been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding." -Harvey Danger, Flagpole Sitta Tim Aten Reality Recess