Subject: Saturday T2
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 14:33:36 EDT
From: Joule5@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Hey Again,

Small turnout this week at the Dragons Lair in Worcester, only 16 people in
the tourney as the temperature was in the 90`s and most people were out
enjoying it.
I`ve had a hard time in tourneys since Exodus came in, not having the cash for
the new set puts me at a slight disadvantage to those who do, but Magic is a
game and should be played with fun in mind as the main objective. This in mind
I went back to 5cG, the old reliable, basically because it consistently does
well for me and has so many variables that no one is quite sure from week to
week what I`ll have in it.

Absolutely no exodus cards in the deck, I know certain things may well improve
it like the oath of druids but until I have them to playtest I`ll go with what
I can.

Heres the deck anyways. The main objective is to capitalize on the lack of
mana, dervishes revisit the main deck due to the popularity of suicide black
at the moment and Ophi`s were tried in playtesting and worked great. I took
the tradewinds out as the last tournament I had to keep sideboarding them due
to the immense fasination with firestorm at the lair.

4 budgies
4 danger rangers , just the usual
4 MoW
4 Ophi`s
3 wall of blossoms
3 Dervish
2 shadow guildmage
3 granger guildmage
2 sex monkeys

3 living death
3 geddon
3 winter orbs
3 propoganda
2 disenchants

9 forest
4 undiscovered
4 city of brass
1 volraths stronghold

Sideboard
3 phyrexian furnace
3 warmth
3 animate dead
2 firestorm
1 dervish
1 terror
1 disenchant
1 propoganda

Ok the tourney,
First round, cant remember the names by the way because as usual I was
completely hungover, we`ll call him "some kid", Hes playing some sort of red
burn goblin deck, he doesn`t need the mana that much but plays all his lands
and the geddons crucify him. 2-0

Second round Chris Geofreda playing an elf coat of arms deck, I could see this
deck getting ugly very fast if it got rolling, it didn`t as a turn 2 granger
guildmage picks of his mana producers and he never gets to 5 mana, game 2 is
very similar. Chris`s decks are always a little wacky but he always plays
graciously and is one of the best young guys in the store to play. A lot of
the older guys who come and draft tuesdays could learn from his sportsmanlike
and pleasant nature.

Quick break for some rum in the car park with Mr Ray Karkman and were back in
action.

Round 3 Justin Rooney. Playing almost a Castle Death deck, He was my only loss
last time and things look to be going my way this game as I hit him down to 4
life, spike feeders and bottle gnomes, keep him alive and then he gets the
mana to death on me, Hmmmmmn wonder were mine are. Game 2 is very close but
goes Justins way again and he takes it 2-0. We play one more for fun
afterwards and I win it, this is what happened the last time. I still haven`t
worked out quite what goes wrong when I play Justin but it keeps happening,
good games and well played though.

Round 4 Vi, now Vi played me with his U/R counter burn the last time I played
this deck and it wasn`t pretty for him, I have a good laugh with Vi as things
just go horribly wrong for him again in game 1. Game 2 he hangs on on 2 life
for forever and a day and finally cant keep up. Good games though and a lot of
fun, just so that you know Vi, when you play the furnaces there to be tapped
to remove the bottum card, and probably best used at least once every turn!

Hey my God I`m actually enjoying the tournament, this is what Magic should be
about.

Round 5 Mr Ray Karkman, Playing R/B not a good matchup for me, as Ray put it
"its all about the guildmages" well game 1 started close and then Ray took
over. Game 2 Ray gets the mana hose I have just a crazy fast start and then
geddon and it`s over in seconds. Game three Ray has it, and I dont even know
how I got it back but I somehow did, I end up geddoning with just an Ophi out
after Ray perished for the second time, and the card drawing allows me a
massive advantage and takes the game. I think in all honesty though this one
should have been Ray`s he was just having one of those days.

So 4-1 and I share first place with Ned, Nick and Justin all on the same
score.

Round 6 , My place, a quiet relaxing game which was all about Absolut Citreon,
I was prepared for it though and my sideboard of OJ made it easier to swallow.
Chris joins the tournament and Ray, myself and Chris move on to Round 7.

Round 7 was staged at Rays place in Stow, His main deck keg of flat budwieser
kept in the kegerator and left over from last weeks party had Chris and I
struggling but eventually we managed to win through. I never expected to see
the Cheese baggles and popcorn but managed to tackle them both. A few phone
calls and were of to Round 8

Round 8 Some guy called Jake Ivory in Boston, I liked his style as he didn`t
only bring the luck of a lady to the table but seemed to think that a
multitude of them would make the game a certainty. We had a long hard fought
battle in here with the game going either way, the steady stream of budwieser
Pitchers just kept coming and Ray just didn`t have anything sideboarded for
it. Three of the lady`s distract his attention and it`s all over for Ray,
Chris side`s in a pint of water and that keeps him in the game. Ray gets left
in Boston I dont think by the smile it was a problem.

Round 9 Ken More playing the "Diner Deck." God this is a long tourney it`s 5
am in the morning. I had everything I needed for this game though as the
bacon, sausage and eggs are wiped out in a flash. My sideboard coffee`s finish
the tourney off just nicely.

Ok guys, thats all for now,

Joules Haigh
Team Highlander