Subject: *GP Austin Report* Ryan Fischbeck 17th place Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 21:02:23 -0500 From: STDRTF12 To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Frank, Well it's monday so I decided to go ahead and write my report for Grand Prix Austin. Please excuse the length of this report as I will cover all 3 days. I also apologise to all the people who's names I forgot. A Decklist will follow the report. Friday: Me and Caleb Freeman decide to leave from Houston for Austin around 1:30 pm, so that we would arrive before 4:00pm and still have leway in case of any mishaps. About half way to Austin we realize that I grabbed the wrong back pack and have to go back and get it, since my calculus book wont win me any games. After that little set back we arrive at the hotel, which was less impressive than I expected, and met up with the rest of the Houston crew.I did a little trading, then decided to play test for tomorrow, even though I was sure I would play my death variant that I have used with decent results the whole season. Later on Bill Macey flags me down to test some of his new decks, one of which is Turbo Grollub which involved a bet with Mike Turian. Later on I retire to my room with all my Houston buds, where we continue to test for the next day. Me, Leland Simmons, and Mason Peatross all play Death which we each tweak out a little differently due to our bye situation: I had 0, Mason had 1, and Leland won a trial and had 3. Sidd Rao plays TradeWake even though it cant be the seceret anti-control black deck(not Turbo Grollub) I got from Bill. Bob Coonce, Rick Burton,and Caleb play Bobs sligh deck and Jeff Clark play the new Black deck. Around 4:00 am I have doubts about Death and think of swiching to the Black Deck but Sidd convinces me to stick with the deck I've be playing for so long. Saturday: I regester,get my Tradewinds signed, and sit down for my paring for round 1. After finding my seat the judges announce that they messed up with the byes and have to re pair us. Round 1 Manuel ?????? Death Game 1 : The games swings back and forth, as we both have good draws, but I manage to stabilize some what with about 16 cards in my library and both scroll racks in the grave. I then get Lobotomized for something not key, and my opponet accidentally pick up my board and starts to look at it. I think about calling a judge, but at this point there are only 10 minuits left in the round, and I know the game will be a draw no matter what i do, so I let it go and Hope Karma will repay me later. 0-0-1 Round 2 ????? Mono Blue Game 1 : I'm confident as I dont lose game one of this match, and am playing first. I keep a 5 land 2 scroll rack hand, and hope to draw something key. I scroll rack my whole hand on turn 3 and get all land = (. I lose. Game 2 : Unfortuneatly my strategy for this match involves winning game 1, I also draw very few buisness cards, and just plain lose. At this point I am thinking I should have switched to the black deck. 0-1-1 Round 3 ?????? Blue Game 1: I get turn 1 Druid, turn 2 survival and turn 4 scragnoth, which I quickly armor up with spikes. He get a sub optimal draw, and i win. Game 2 : my opponet goes land, mox, medallion and dosent see a land for quite a while. he gets a turn 3 lobotomy, but i have scroll rack protection. I then verdigris his mox, and useing oath of gouls, tradewind, thrull surgeon, bounce and make him discard all of his perminents. He calls a judge and concedes. 1-1-1 Round 4 ?????? Death Games 1 and 2: he is inexperienced with his deck, and I have been playing my deck for several months. I get Force, Tradewind, Coffin Queen, Stronghold Assassin, and Rootwater hunter on the board, and all my other creatures in the graveyard effectively locking the game in my favor. Game 2 I use Stronghold Taskmaster tech to render all of his queens, sirgeons, and assassins useless, and get a good graveyard, and good board. 2-1-1 feeling better Round 5 ?????? Death Game 1 : I always forget this guys name, but am expecting sligh as he has 2 top 8's with it prevously. We both get great draws, but he has no lobotomies so i pull his deaths and win. Game 2 : I get turn 3 Lobo for deaths, and he still has no lobo's so i win. 3-1-1 Round 6 Toby Tabert < i think thats right > Sligh Game 1 : I get an early survival so I can get gnomes, walls ,an spikes which keep me alive long enough to get a force and tradewind out and win. Game 2 : Board in Oath of Druids and the standard weaver, scrivner, verdigris. He wins this one as he blows up the world 3 times, the third of which I have no cards in hand, so I cant recover quickly enough. Game 3: I get early Surviveal, Oath of Druid, Oath of Gouls, but he blows up the world. I am ready though and recover quick so he does it again. But this time I have land, land, hermit, death, in my hand. He get a slow start, and i am able to tradewind lock him. 4-1-1 = ) still in there Round 7 Lan D. Ho Black Tech We get a random deck check and after about 20 minuits I get called up for failure to desideboard = (. I am awarded a game loss. I go sit down and tell Lan, but he gets called up soon after for having marked lands, so I win, but not the way I wanted to. = ( Note : I belive it was an honest mistake on Lan's part as I do not think he would cheat anyone. 5-1-1 I go into day 2 at 30th seed, along with 5 other Houston guys: Sidd Rao : 7-0 2nd seed Leland Simmons: 5-2 Caleb Freeman: 5-2 Bob Coonce: 5-2 Micheal Jordon: 5-2 we go celebrate at Taco Cabana and then go to bed early enough to be fresh in the morning, since the player meeting is at 8:45 am Sunday We all wake up early and take non intentially cold showers, then go to the meeting. Round 8 Gabe Tsang Counter Phoenix Game 1 : Ever since losing to Adrian Sayers in the top 8 of a qualifier I am undefeated aginst this deck, so I fell pretty good when I figure out what he is playing. I get a fast armored scragnoth courtisy of survival, and win fairly easly due to his only average draw. Game 2 : I play turn 1 oath of gouls but stall at three mana because he keeps countering my druid. The game goes back and forth once I get mana. and he gets me down to 3, before I make him sac 2 birds and put him on defence. He then hits me for 2 with a bird, then sacs it to stay alive. He then has 1 turn to draw burn, but dosent so i recur a feeder to stabilize and win. I believe I would have lost this game if not for oath of gouls wall of blossoms, as I drew lots of late game land. 6-1-1 Round 9 James Stroud Big Blue Game 1 : I am worried because he starts portcullis, i only see 2 lands, and he locks me down turn 4. I call a judge and concede. Games 2: I now believe I have a much better chance with my board so feel good going into this game. Unfortunately for James he stall at 3 land so I win easily. Games 3: This game is very long as the first two games ended in about 5 minuits a piece. We have several ruling the game, as control swings back and forth for the whole match. With 1 minuit remaining I am losing and have the chance to stall out for a draw, but dont. 6-2-1 Round 10 Micheal Jordon Counter Pheonix Game 1 : I armor up scragnoth early and win with it and 2 weavers fast. Game 2 : I get another early scragnoth but he get torture chamber and starts to build counters up on it. When he taps out to play a bird I top deck a verdigris to kill the chamber, and win this match shortly after. 7-2-1 Round 11 Brian Ogilbee(sp?) Black Tech Game 1: He gets a first turn coffin queen, and a turn 4 helm of possesion, which was a last minuite change he made to the deck. I have verdent force in my grave due to an unlucky hermit, so I lose rather quickly. Games 2 and 3 : I board in 3 Taskmasters and get at least 1 out by turn 4. He recovers with canibalize game 2, but I get out a Force, afterwards and blow up his helm. Game three he draws no cannibalize, so I am able to win fairly easily. 8-2-1 Round 12 ?????? TradeWake Game 1 : This is a bad match up for me and I mulligan to 5. You can guess the results. Game 2 : I get a great start and manage to lock him with his own awakining, after lobotomizeing his capsizes. Game 3 : I Get locked down on turn 5 at three land, but continue playing, as I can pull out with mox diamond, and because time is low. I scroll rack, survival for at least 5 a turn but dont see a single mox till i have 0 land, but then time is called. The judge gants three turn but I am at 18 so I am hopefull. Unfortuneately my opponent top decks a weaver in time to kill me. Note : He had a weaver and tradewind allready.] 8-3-1 At this point I cant make top 8 but still have a chance to qualify for rome if I win. Round 13 Bill Payne Counter Pheonix Game 1 : Useing survival I get an early Scragnoth, and he plays shock instead of kindle so he has a hard time winning, especially since i got active coffin queen and ate his bird. Game 2 : My opening draw is Land, Land, Oath of Ghouls, Thrull Surgeon, Lobotomy, Survival, Hermit Druid. I draw a mox then a land, and throw out too many threats for him to deals with. After this round I am hoping to make top 15 and qualify, due to several slots passing down. I am happy no matter what though because I am the top under 1700 player so I get $500 no matter what. Also Sidd is in top 8 so all of us Houston guys are excited. = ) I end up 17th place due to my horrible tie breakers i got from day 1. Oh well at least I made money. =) Unfortuneately Sidd get a game loss in game 3 of his first round, for almost drawing a card. ( He started to pick it up but put it back quickly after he realized.) And thats all I have to say. Deck List : 4 Hermit Druid 3 Survial of the Fittest 1 Spike Feeder 3 Recurring Nightmare 1 Coffin Queen 3 Living Death 1 Verdant Force 4 Wall of Blossoms 2 Bottle Gnomes 2 Spike Weavers 2 Tradewind Riders 2 Scroll Rack 2 Thrull Surgeon 1 Lobotomy 1 Rootwater Hunter 1 Anarchist 1 Cloudchaser Eagle 1 Stronghold Assassin 1 Scragnoth Board 3 Oath of Druids 3 Oath of Ghouls 3 Stronghols Taskmasters 1 Scrivner 2 Verdigris 1 Thrull Surgeon 1 Lobotomy 1 Scragnoth Now for the props and slops Props: Sidd : For making top 8 Me : for clutching after going 0-1-1 Randy Buehler : For playing even after haveing to use plains instead of mountains. Caleb : For going back to get my cards DCI: for NOT updating my ranking in time for the GP. and everyone in houston who made day 2 Slops: Bob's Deck : For not giving Bob any mountains day 2. Chris Nolan : For not making day 2 because of a stupid error. Sidd : for not laying down your cards on the table before you pick them up. The judges : for putting a steel cage around the top 8, and for not letting non-competitors spectate. this report : for being soooo long well thats it for now hopefully i'll have more good things to write about in the near future. Later, Ryan Fischbeck DCI 633300 WarpdMind on irc