Subject: WW Underwood, Tournament report
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 20:18:57 +0200
From: plachow@post.cz
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Tournament Report
"Termiti Arena" On Saturday, August 1st, Letohrad, Czech Republic.
This is one of the biggest tournaments in Czech Republic, this year
take place over one hundred players including word-champion Jakub
Slemr, and others top players. It is Type II DCI tournament. 
This tourney is also really good holiday meeting of Magic players, so
there is a lot of celebrations in Friday and a lot of players look a bit
like zombie on Saturday. I was sober after third round as well :-) Go
sleep at half to six AM and get up at nine isn't good concentration
before big tourney :-)))

I played with this deck:

4       White Knight
4       Soltari Monk
4       Soltari Priest
2       Warrior en-Kor
2       Soltari Visionary
2       Paladin en-Vec

3       Cursed Scroll
4       Tithe
2       Firestorm
1       Earthquake                              
2       Mana Leak
1       Aura of Silence
3       Empyrial Armor
2       Disenchant

3       Mox Diamond
2       Undiscovered Paradise
2       Gemstone Mine
2       City of Brass
4       Wasteland
11      Plains
        
Sideboard:
3       Pyroblast
2       Aura of Silence
1       Armageddon
2       Wrath of God
2       Perish
3       Sleight of Mind
2       CoP: Red


Round 1: Against Jaroslav Sita (team No Mercy), playing
Draw-and-Go
This wasn't too happy beginning of tournament to by paired with one
of best players in Czech Republic.
Game 1: I win the dice roll and start. I play Plain, Mox, Priest. Second
turn Armor is countered by Force Spike. Third turn is his five-color
land destroyed by Wasteland and armor is successfully cast. He
doesn't recover. Game. I side in Auras and Blasts.
Game 2: I have a little slower start, at turn six I had only two Knights
on the table. He cast Disc, I try to disenchant and he countered.
That's OK, opponent has all lands tapped I need to draw Aura or
Disenchant. I draw a Priest... I attack for four. Next turn becomes Disc
untapped and let me play. I draw a Warrior. I declare attack and Disk
is activated. I lay both creatures on the table. Opponent plays Steel
Golem and Stalking Stones... Oh, it doesn't look good. But he has a
few lives, Stalking Stone is Wasted and I win.
It is a really good start in tournament...
1-0, 2-0

Round 2: Against Ivan Stanoev (team Hammer of Brno), playing R/U
Today I really haven't luck in pairings, first round Sita, second
Stanoev...
Game 1: I start with Cursed Scroll, second turn Priest, third turn
Armor (great combo with a Scroll :-)) and start to beat. He doesn't
recover. No shot from Scroll. In goes Pyroblasts and Armageddon.
Game 2: It is a little copy of first game. He has really no defense
against quick armoured Priest.
2-0, 4-0

Round 3: Somebody playing B/U with Man-o-Wars, B.Knights and
Black Shadows (and Dreads too...:-)
Game 1: He starts with Slayer. I response with Monk. He attacks, I
attack. He casts Horror I cast Paladin. He casts Black Knight I cast
Armor. He deals 6 damage I cast two Tithe and kill him with Paladin.
:-)) I haven't seen Manowars... In go Sleights and Pyroblasts
Game 2: This game was similar to first, but I had to eat his Dreads
(no Sleights) with Soltari Visionary (pretty nice anti-dread critter :-). He
died to two Scrolls and an armored Monk (with three Plains on my
hand :-).
3-0, 6-0

Round 4: Against M. (?) Laznovsky playing Counter-Oath
Game 1: He plays two Islands, I think he is playing something
mono-blue, but third turn he plays Forest and Oath. I disenchant he
plays another. Next turn I take six damages from Spirit... I have
nothing against it I lose. In goes Auras, Wrath and Pyros
Game 2: I play early Scroll and Visionary, but he Firestorms it, casts
Oath and first Oathed card was this damned Spirit... Easy loose...
It is really hard to deal with Oath decks. When you play creature, he
will play Sprit, if you don't play a creature, he will kill you with Feeder.
If you disenchant Oath, he will return it with Gaea's Blessing... The
best way how to beat this deck type is early Aura and a Shadow with
Armor... Suggestions welcomed...
3-1, 6-2

Round 5: Against somebody playing Donais 5CU
Game 1: I started pretty well, but he had I think hundreds Wraths and
Gerards... When he started to whisper, I concede. In goes
Armageddon and Pyros. It smells like a little loss :-(
Game 2: I drop Mox, quick two shadows, he is forced to Wrath, i play
two scrolls and kill him with them. Quick victory, but for last game we
have only about ten minutes...
Game 3: I play two shadows, he wraths, I play another and geddon
with pyroblast. But this game is a draw because time-out. Shame, I
had pretty good advantage.
3-1-1, 7-3-1

Round 6: Against Michal Srba (team Brothers in Trip), playing
Prosperous Bloom
Another strong player... I like judges for pairing :-)))
Game 1: I won the roll and start. First turn Plain, Mox, Priest, second
turn Visionary :-). It is really funny critter against enchantment-based
decks. But it was all I play this game, I beat him for four every turn, I
see no disenchants, no auras. Turn five he lays Resources and starts
the engine. I'm drained for forty-four. Damn. In goes Pyroblasts,
Auras and Slights.
Game 2: I have very weak start, I have only one Monk on the table.
On my hand I have two Disenchants and a Slight. Turn six he plays
Gloom, I Slight it interruptly to green and that's game. It was the
funniest moment of tournament :-) He had to pay three for every two
manas from Bloom :-)))
Game 3: Early Resources were disenchanted, I drop Shadow with
Armor, opponent is forced to start the combo but he fails. With luck I
won this game...
4-1-1, 8-4-2

Round 7: Somebody playing Donais 5CU
I must win 2-0 to be in Top 8
Game 1: It was a really quickest game I played on this tournament. I
started with Mox, Mox, Plain, Scroll, Priest, second turn Scroll and he
died early. In goes Armageddon and Pyros
Game 2: With two shadows on table he is forced to wrath in fourth
turn, next turn I geddon and Waste his next two lands. He doesn't
recover... The qickest victory on the tournament. With score 5-1-1 I
reach top-8, great :-))) 
5-1-1, 10-4-1

Final eight:
First round of elimination: 
Somebody playing Green with Wineyards, Llanowar Sentinels,
"Erham Elephants" etc.
Game 1: He starts with Vineyard, I take two damages, next turn next
Vineyard, I took four damages and I play Soltari Visionary. Next turn I
play TWO Armors on Visionary and eat Vineyards. He dies. I side
Perishes and Auras.
Game 2: Quick race with two (AGAIN!) Vineyards and Scrolls. I lose
when opponent has one life...
Game 3: It is unbelievable, but he has again in second turn two
Vineyards on table and I have no disenchants nor auras. I die after
destroying my Scroll by Creeping Mold.
Eldamri's Vineyards are really hard deal for WW.

I wanted to make a little trip with my girlfriend in Sunday but my
friends talk me into engage tourney in Extended format. (Of course
with brutal party in night from Saturday to Sunday :-))) I had only this
type II deck so I upgrade it with Bolts and Swords and go for it :-))) 
When I had to really leave because I had to catch the train, I had
pretty nice score 3:1 when I lost only with monogreen deck I lost on
Saturday :-)))

So, Letohrad's "Termit's Arena" is very cool action and I'm looking for
next year and I prepare my liver for nonusual duty :-)))

So it's too late and I'm sleepy, any suggestions and comments please
send me by e-mail.

Zdenek "Plachow" PLACHY (Guru Team)

plachow@post.cz

PS: Weak English warning...
PPS: Greetings and thanks to Marcel Karabin, Lukas Ladra and
Ludek Motycka