Subject: TOURNAMENT Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 01:06:54 -0500 From: "J. Todd Parker" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com J. Todd "Mr. Pestilence" Parker ***WINNER*** PTQ-Birmingham, AL October 10, 1998 Greetings from the Heart o'Dixie! Before I get to the actual tourney report, let me first thank Dr. Bob's Games in Huntsville for running another smooth tournament - you guys are great! Also thanks in advance to team Rakalite for helping me get ready for Extended in Rome. My deck: Sideboard: 4 Jackal Pups 3 Torture Chamber (anti-Paladin & Priest) 4 Mogg Fanatics 4 Altar of Dementia (anti-Capsize & Death) 4 Mogg Flunkies 4 Jinxed Idol (Hell against low creature- 4 Fireslingers count decks) 4 Canyon Wildcats 4 Grindstone (anti-mono-color and control 2 Rathi Dragons decks) 4 Scalding Tongs 4 Maniacal Rage 4 Shock 4 Kindle 2 Sonic Burst 2 Seismic Assault 2 Goblin Bombardment 18 Mountains -------------------------- 62 cards And now for the report: The field of 48 seemed small, but did feature a few past ProTour participants trying to qualify for Rome. I had a hard time deciding what to play, but after considering Trade/Awake, Living Death and a couple of original rogue decks, I settled on Sligh. Before you start complaining about what a crummy deck Rath Cycle Sligh is, and how any scrub can play it, you should know that the field had tons of Blue decks with Chill and other control, White decks with ungodly numbers of protection from red creatures and CoP;Red, and Living Death or Trade/Awake decks that gain lots of life. The bottom line is that the field was just as tough for me as it was for anybody else, so the whiners and complainers out there can sit home and b*tch while I go to Rome and play my scrub *ss off. Round by round summary: Round 1 - I played some guy with the worst Sligh deck I've ever seen. I'm usually not one to criticize other people's decks or playing ability, but how do you screw up a Sligh deck!?! I won 2-0. Round 2 - My opponent played an excellent Living Death deck, and I was very fortunate to draw a Sonic Burst to win with my opponent having just recurred a 9/9 Revenant. I won 2-0. Round 3 - I played against an excellent mono-blue deck, which by all rights should have eaten my lunch. He wins one game with a Wayward Soul. The other 2 games go my way, and are almost identical - he turns a second or third turn Chill, and counters almost everything I can play, but I finally get out a Scalding Tong, which does lots of damage and finishes him while he waits for a Capsize. I won 2-1. Round 4 - I play Bill Foxworthy from Team Redneck, and win game 1 while he has a Soltari Priest and 2 Paladin's on the board(!). In Game 2, I start an early beatdown and get Rathi on the board one turn before he can Cataclysm. I won 2-0. Round 5 - Intentional Draw. I hate I.D.s. I really do. I've lost out on top 8 before because the top-seeded players I.D.'ed instead of having to play. But until WotC or the DCI changes the rules that make this possible, people will continue to take them. Round 6 - another Intentional Draw (See above comment). Quarter-finals - I'm seeded number 2, and have to play Bill Foxworthy again. I get my best draws of the day, and again beat a deck I probably shouldn't have. Semi-finals - I have to play Steven Morris, my 2nd round opponent, and his Living Death deck. Game 1 is the standard Sligh slaughter, and Game 2 is a joke - for him! I get him down to 2 life, and then his deck starts rolling in a big way. Recurring Bottle Gnomes and Spike Feeders take Steven back up to 18 life and make Todd a sad boy, as I'm crushed by a Verdant Force and hordes of Saprolings. Game 3 - I "fanaticide" an early Hermit Druid, and that's pretty much that. Finals - I play against a mono-blue deck with Sharks, Tradewinds, Mawcors and huge shadow thingies. I lose my first Game 1 of the day, and start to feel like reality has finally set in. Game 2 - he gets out a second turn Chill, but I have second and third turn Scalding Tongs. I get just enough land to keep my hand at 3 cards, and ride the Tongs all the way. Game 3 - I know I can't handle the beef in his deck, so I take a chance and sideboard in Jinxed Idols, reasoning that I should have creature advantage, and that if I can do enough quick damage, he'll have to sac his creatures to give back the idol. This strategy pays off, and with the help of another Rathi Dragon, I coast to victory. Next stop, ProTour Rome! Thanks to all of my opponents for being excellent sports, especially in the Top 8, when an invitation to Rome was up for grabs. In fact, I felt that, with one notable exception, all the participants were on their best behavior for the entire day. To the person who was asked to leave: just because your team-mate might have gotten the bad end of a judge's ruling, you don't have the right to whine for half an hour. Grow up!