Subject: Grand prix b'ham report. Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 13:42:25 +0000 From: daniel.nuttall@westsuffolk.ac.uk To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Frank. First of all an apologie for an overly long mail. here we go. RUN UP TO THE GRAND PRIX 2 weeks before the grand prix,Tony dobson and Dan paskins came up to my house and we began some rath cycle testing.On the sunday we had planned to go to the shrewsbury qualifier,and so we went up to brian speelmans(tame?) to continue the testing.I built ALL the major decks and some of the teams efforts.Eventually we all decided to play the deck later to be known asDRIVEL.TECH.It worked wonders,and beat counter pheonix which was the major metagame.To cut along story short,Tony won the qualifier and dan justed missed out on the top 8 by loosing to paul hawkins(another yeam mate.And theres richard too!) I,well I did pants!.A week before the grand prix and Dan goes to the Ashford qualifier,he misses out by coming second(wow,dan is really unlucky you know.)He lost to awakening.Awakening was doing really well,and on the advice of paul,i spent the week playing awakening. Randy Buehler told me of his intention to attend the Grand prix when we met in lisbon,so i offered him a place to stay and he arrived on the thursday.We spent the evening testing (is that the correct term for receiving a beating?).He was play testing his mono blue deck with weenies and equilibriums.It was good.Undetered i wanted to play awakening still,heres what the others decided to play. Team TOP DECK- paul hawkins-awakening richard edbury-awakening daniel nuttall-awakening tony dobson-humility prayer dan paskins-dobson drivel.tech others- brian speelman-awakening randy buehler-equoblue. Heres the list of the deck that i played. 4-tradewind 4-wall of broken flowery technology 3-sharks 2-spike weaver 4-legacys allure 4-counterspell 4-forbid 3-awakening 4-capsize 4-whispers 4-pool 7-forest 10-island 3-skyshroud forest sb: 1-wasteland (wow!) 1-equilibrium(oh my god!) 2-dominating licid 2-mana leak 1-tranquility 3-super blue hating nasty beasts 4-oath of druids 1-spike weaver We register on sataurday and start talking to the uk players.Team 'skillz' are playing counter pheonix,the sensible people are playing awakening!!! :-) Tony , Paul and I are on 3 byes.Dan and Richard are on 2. Dan and rich win their first round,and as dan said mr bye had taken its beatings and dropped. Round four: what the Feck??? vs:noah boeken(holland) Noah is a very good player,and he had already qualified for the tour.He wins the dice roll and goes first. Island and spindrift drake(what the feck!) I lay an island and live in fear of a curios drake( i hear that hippies are pretty good you know!) I continue to lay land until i can whisper w b/b at the end of his turn,then if he counters he only has one countering attempt on my tradewind next turn.I whisper,he forbids with b/b.I untap and cast tradewind,he forbids w/o b/b.i counter.He lets the drake go and from here on i lock him up. Game 2 and noah is a litle mana tight,so i drop 2 hammerheads and a legacy and start to beat.He drops a hammerhead and i think that he expects me to take it,but i continue attacking with the two hammerheads until he is at three.He begins to make a defence and stabilises the situation.So i drop a scragnoth and finish the job! 4-0 2-0 round five:hello,what the fecks this??? vs:Bram ? Holland game one:a mystery to me. game two:my only sources of green are from skysroud forests and he beats me with his two visionarys.I draw a weaver,and we exchange his life for weaving tokens.I draw a forest and drop a second weaver,im now down to 2.I then drop awakening and increase his hand size with a capsize.Bram was cool but he played with strange cards.Elvish fury anyone? 5-0 4-0 Carl annouces that that is it for today,and that they are involved in a screw(imagine that!) I leave 'day one' in pole position. Round six: ERTAI,WHAT THE FECK??? vs:Andreas tommass (sp?) Sweden. Well andreas made the top eight,but he was a little lucky here. game one:he drops 3 legacys(he does it well though.i didnt just let him!)not nice. game 2:he drops 3 legacys and an ertai.Arse.He then takes my tradewind and that traitior does me twenty friggin points!!! 5-1 4-2 Round seven:There really is no need for this. vs:a french guy who shall remain un named Games one and two:Basically he was a better player and his deck was well devised.Well done to him.However,the way in which he conducted himself during the game was shambolic,and i think that his lack of sportsmanship was astounding.You know something,i think that some players have forggoten the *fun* and *game* element of magic.Dont get me wrong,i'm all for competitive play,but there is a level i would'nt cross,and i think thats the level most players are at. 5-2 4-4 Round 8:AT LAST,the metagame arrives!!! Vs:Tommi hovi (Finland) Game one.Tomi gets a good draw,2 legacys a tradewind and some walls.I'm loosing with the three tradewinds in my hand and the masses of land on the table.We have a counter war over a legacys and he wins,both leaving us with little left in hand.I promptly draw a whisper to draw awakening,capsize,counterspell .He has 2 cards in hand.I work out that if he has a capsize(2 in his bin already) and a counterspell ,im in trouble-but the chances were remote,and i was loosing any way.I drop the awakening,i capsize his tradewind when he taps it,he attempts to fizzle with his own.I counter,he counters.Arse.He lays tradewind.On my next turn i know that only another capsize will do.I draw,A CAPSIZE,YAHOO!!! and lock tommi up. Game 2:I drop 2 early hammer heads and then an equilibrium,he plays a dominator.I lay a weaver.He dominates it.I lay my own dominater,and return my weaver to my hand,he looses his dominater.Told you the equilibrium was good!(thanks randy)I win. 6-2 6-4 Round 9:O.k, ive had enough of the metagame VS:David mayer(wow,my first british opponent)-awakening Game one:i get a bad draw and he gets the god draw.i loose very quickly. Game 2: i screw him a little with a timely wasteland,and beat with the good ol' sharks.He is at three and starts his recovery.I lay equilibrium.he gets an active tradewind.Eventually he bounces the equilibrium.I relay it.he makes a scagnoth.I now have seven turns to draw a creature to win(via equilibrium and the capsize in my hand) I dont and his angry noth goes all the way. 6-3 6-6 round 10:Disqualify,what the feck!!! Vs:tommas ? (denmark) Game 1: He begins to drop some white weenies and ihave a slow start.I begin to gain control at seven life with a tradewind an awakening and a capsize.Then he gets disqualified for misrepresenting soul warden,apparently the 5th misrepresentation he made at the grand prix.I offer my condolences and while upset he realises it was'nt my fault. 7-3 8-6 round eleven:At last a death deck,i beleive i win this one. Vs mike cooper Games 1+2:see round title. 8-3 10-6 Props: My opponents in general,for being sportsmanlike and representing your respective countys well(well,most of you anyay) Randy Buehler ,for coming to teach me from his infinite wisdom. Team top deck-you really get to know who your friends are when you in a dificult time,Thanks guys. The team again,for winning $750,YAHOO!!! Neil rigby and Dan Paskins,for having the nuts to play the decks that they played,and rigby especcially for beating randy.'now i am the master'!!! Brian 'apparently tame'speelman.its been great,and you'll be sorely missed my friend . Slops: Wizards organisational skills.No im not having a go carl. A certain UK player for his recent comments about me.You know who you are,and so do i now. Danny Nuttall. Team top deck(dan dan tony rich and paul)