Subject: Austin Grand Prix Report Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 09:30:40 PDT From: "Fletcher Peatross" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Hey Dojo Readers. I didn't play in the main event, so don't come looking for my report on that. Hell, when do I ever do normal reports? But, I think I do have some fun stories to relate, and comments on the new Urza's Saga set. I'm heavily associated with Team Houston, i.e. my twin brother Mason (Ironman), is one of the founding members. I'll never actually be on the team, but root for them. Mason will most likely be posting a report also. Friday: Leave work exceptionally early, get almost every card I own together (which aint much yet), and head off with my girlfriend Christi to Austin. I've already planned ahead with Tim Weissman (Level 3 Judge) to have me judge at the tourney on Sat/Sun and Christi to help out. Didn't play enough Rath Cycle constructed to be competitive I think. Arrived in time to play in a $20 Mox Mania event. Its sealed, I play a decent W/G/u (I think) but don't have any good removal in those colors (amazing isnt it?). Well, The guy I played against did. Found Brian Olgilbee (Team Austiknights and occasional PT player)(player formally known as My Bitch heh) and challenged him to a rematch so he could remove the moniker of me calling him bitch. Him, Joel (a Lubbock player) and Chris Herdeman (Team Austiknight also) money drafted against me, Leland Simmons and Jeff Clark, both Team Houston. Both are poorer than me, so I paid for them. It was an insignificant 10 bucks a piece, it was more a 'pride' thing than anything else. Brian exacted revenge in 3 rather close games. I ended up playing W/u (w/ Serra Avatar + 2 Congregates), but not one disenchant. Both games he won, he got out his Dragon Blood. That card is a beating against a control deck like mine. I then played Herdeman, who I spanked. He played G/R, and i started to R:OP Green main deck, and an additional Absolute Law(is that the pro red one?) in the sideboard, along with the all creatures get +1/+1 card. He kept counting my library in game 3. Jeff had a funny song for congregate when it took me from 13 to 25+, and then sang it again the next round for 45+. Then, Serra Avatar came to play. Scoop it up. Repeat that for Joel, who won game 2 of 3 by getting out the machine gun, hermetic study on horseshoe crab. Jeff and Leland went 1-2 each, losing me 30 bucks and all the cards. I ribbed them both, but had fun anyway. The new tech Austiknight deck (mono black control, which I guarantee, you havent' seen before), was leaked out to Team Houston, who spent a few hours trying to figure out how to beat it. No one figured out how to beat it, but if i remember correctly, they didnt have to play against it either. I crash somewhere around 3-4 AM, Christi a little before that, but she's mad cause it wasnt earlier. I can't sleep because my mind is turning on how to beat this black deck. I end up making only a good 2 hours of sleep. its a Magic weekend, what can I say. Saturday: 8 am wakeup, to help with registration for the Grand Prix. yay. =). There is a general hush when Finkel makes his appearance, and he's taller than I expected. heh. Hacker (blue hair and all), Buehler, the OMS brothers, Holy Pikula, Price, Tony Tsai, and all kinds of Texans sign up. Noticeably absent, David "Tiger" Williams. Missed ya David! I meet the head judge Mike Guptil, and David Doust (level 3). Jeff Miracola and John Matson are onhand to sign cards (more on that later). Team Houston associate Michael Jordan (JSS regular, and 9th grader) is intending on playing CP, which he's practiced heavily. I sit down with him before he registers, and tell him about the metagame the night before. in the 3round bye final 8, 7!!!!! living death, and one humility prayer. Amazing. Also, some of the CP are running Silver "B-ting" Wyvern main deck. I suggest he put it in, and tell him about the poopiness of Thalakos Drifter. I played CP last weekend, and against WW I got my ass handed to me even with the Drifter out. Its all about Gerard's freaking Battle cry making en-kor + soltari priest, something beefy. He puts in torture chamber in sideboard instead. around 10 oclock everything gets rolling, I head over to the side room and start running the side tourneys. I do this until 10pm, being the only judge in the room, and running 3-4 tourneys minimum at any one time. I refer to myself as 'the king' over the walkie talkie that's provided, and they ask me if i can handle more. My response, "Bring it on." I think I impressed David and Tim, and hopefully didnt ask too many dumb judge-type questions. I've only been playing since Stronghold, and making level 1 judge was an accomplishment i'm proud of. But running an Extended tournament and being asked about rulings on cards i've never even seen! that was fun. =) WOW! On the day, Team Houston makes an incredible showing! Our first Grand Prix and we have half making the second day. Sid goes 7-0 with tradewind/awakening! with 100% game percentage!! Beatings. I'm quite proud and tell him so repeatedly. Leland, Caleb, Ryan, Bob, and Michael all make second day. Mason and Jeff both didn't do as well as they wanted. Michael's change in sideboard and addition of the "B-Ting" made for 4! game wins by themselves he tells me. He beat 2! WW with the torture chamber tech. Amazing. Its all big brother complex for me, very proud of the dude, and I pay for his celebration dinner at Taco Cabana. I'm probably more excited than the guys who made the second day, very proud that they've gone this far. (I actually get sleep!) Sunday: I again get up around 8ish, gotta love judging. Sidd is already playing in his first match (featured) against Darwin Kastle. Playing Living Death. First game, Kastle asks for a judge to concede when Sidd drops double active tradewind, double awakening, and capsize in hand. At that point, he only had 3 mox diamonds for mana on the board. I'm hoping Sidd can pull out a longgggggggg game 2, but Kastle drops Scragnoth, and Sidd has no wall of blossoms. Game 3, they time out (only 10 minutes left for that game anyway). It was a great match to watch, two excellent players. Darwin has this happen in one of the games he lost: turn 3 hermit druid, lose recurring nightmare, lose living death DOH. turn 5 hermit druid, lose recurring nightmare, lose living death DOH. Again i start running the side events, only handling about 4 on this day. Featured match (around round 3 on the day) is Finkel vs. Hatred-dude. I'm the only judge watching, and this dude has already hatreded Finkel out twice! the first game for the win, the second game for the mutual death. Last round, he did a two turn kill against a local texan. Hatred actually makes it to day 2, who woulda thunk it. So, they are playing game 3, and something happens I doubt I'll ever forget. It's finkel's turn, oath of druids is out, he activates it, gets a thrull surgeon. Taps mana, surgeons, takes a card, and then says 'done'. Jeff is standing next to me, and there is a slight murmer, and i'm like 'what?'. Jeff says Finkel didnt draw a card, and its like an alarm going off in my head. I realize that I saw that happen, but didnt 'notice' it happen. I sigh inwardly, realizing that i'm the ONLY judge there. I stop the match. Level 1, stopping the match in a grand prix with the number one player in the world. I say you didnt draw a card, we discuss it a bit, and I already know I'm not even going to ATTEMPT to make a ruling on this. Tim comes over, looks up the exact penalty, and its a game loss. I'm nervous "oh god, i'm goign to be the cause of Finkel losing a match". Of course, Finkel asks for Mike Guptil (head judge), but all three judges consult on it, and its determined that it is a definate he didnt draw the card. He recieves a game loss. i'm in shock almost, and in a way proud of myself. SEVERAL guys watching are giving me high fives for doing the right thing, and later, i tell the story to anyone who will listen. Its finkel for gods sake. I apologize to him later, and i've got one thing to say for meeting him for the first time, he's a class act. He said 'its cool'. I listen in on him discussing it, and apparently its the FIRST time he's used oath of druids!!! amazing. I learn lots on both days about rulings, about all levels of enforcement etc. Eventually it comes down to the Beta booster challenge! I'm hoping i'm in. I'm not. poopy. David pops the bag that TNC sent him. Its freaking Alpha cards. Everyone is dissapointed a bit, and the good cards are : an Icy, Serra, Sengir, STP, Berserk, a savannah (i think), Lightning Bolt, False Orders, oh, and a ton of basic land (el pooperfic). I run the draft portion, and arrange the first round. I've signed up for one last tourney, and get called to play in it. Its 10 bucks for rath cycle, so i take my chances. I open, tradewind. Worth 10 bucks? I show EVERYONE at the table, laugh, and hand it to the judge, who walks it up to the artist and he signs it for me! Second pick? propaganda, which also gets signed! heh, playing with two signed cards. I lose. poopy. I win the first match though, with this combo: Tradwind, disturbed burial, and thrull surgeon. Amazing. I play the guy who was sitting next to me, who apparently drafted the EXACT same colors as me. he cut off all the good Tempest/Exodus U/b. oh well. I go trade the tradewind for a serra avatar, and complete my set of Urzas Saga. Back to the final 8, Sid's in! He gets matched up against Darwin Kastle. He wins the first, darwin takes the second, and then, something poopy happens. Sid touches his top card, pulls the edge up as if to draw it, but realizes that he cant draw cause he's playing. He gets a game loss. Level 5 enforcement sucks. =( Sidd makes money though. I leave before its over, with my 3 boxes of product for Christi and I working. Christi had a shirt worked on by both artists, and Miracola did an AMAZING dragon on the back, John doing a smaller dragon on the front pocket. She'll probably be wearing it at the Texas Championships coming up. It was a great weekend, a few problems (which i'll not go into, mason will do that i'm sure), but overall lots of fun. Obligatory Props, Slops, stuff like that: Props: Finkel- for being a class act, even when getting a game loss. You were already impressive to me being the Number 1 player in the world and all, but you showed that you've got class too. Buehler- for winning a game with CP and NO MOUNTAINS. AMAZING. (misregistered his deck, and was forced to play with plains) and WON?!?!?! AMAZING. David Doust and Tim Weissman- Looking forward to you two hooking up again to run things, you two made for a very well run Prix. I'll work for either of you again. Michael Jordan- For being so freaking good and so young. Caleb and Ryan- I didn't expect either of you to make second day, you both impressed me. Congrats on great showings and making money! Aint it great to get paid to play? Sidd- for joining Jeff in the ranks of those going to Rome. You stuck with your deck, no matter what. You practiced more with that deck than anyone else I know. You deserved to make it to the final 8, and I bet you could have pulled out the win. Mana screw sucks. Christi- for putting up with me all weekend, and still having a good time. Jeff- for pointing out Finkel's play error when my mind didnt register it as a problem. Russ & Leland- for both of you doing sub-optimal trades to help me put together my set! (even if you wouldnt give up that Show and Tell Russ) Russell Law & Deana Fortine - For sponsoring a great up and coming team. Since you signed on again, Team houston has qualified three guys for the Tour. Lets keep it going! BrowserGames the place to play Magic in Houston. The Texas A&M Fighting Aggie Football Team- for spanking Nebraska!!!! WHOOOOOOOP!!!!! BEATINGS! the word poopy- so appropriate in sooo many situations. Slops: Jeff & Leland- Money draft, DOH. Jeff- for being rude when all I wanted to do was be excited. Its great that the people that made day 2 made day 2. That is an accomplishment all by itself. You dont have to win, to be proud of yourself, you just have to do better than you expect yourself to do. Mason- for trying to play bloom, again, and losing, again. You can only win in playtesting i tell ya! Mike Guptil- for making incosistent rulings on almost the exact same situation. Jeff Donais- for not being there! My Eclipse- for dying in the parking lot of the Mason jar. =( Thanks for reading, if you got down this far. I'll see ya at the Texas Championships, and then a week later at the Lousiana Championships. Get those Type 2 decks ready! -Fletcher Peatross -DCI Level 1 Judge -DCI #714780 -EvlDragon on IRC ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com