Subject: Tournament Report: Pro Qualifier Salt Lake 10/10/98
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 04:05:42 EDT
From: RGMuranaka@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Aaron Muranaka
Tournament: Salt Lake City PTQ
Date: 10/10/98
Place: First

Here is the deck I played.  John Yoo was nice
enough to send it to me.

4 Jackal Pup
4 Mogg Raider
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Raging Goblin
4 Fireslinger
4 Mogg Flunkies
4 Shock
4 Sonic Burst
4 Maniacal Rage
4 Giant Strentgh
4 Wasteland
16 Mountain

Sideboard:
3 Price of Progress
3 Bottle Gnomes
2 Furnace of Rath
2 Rathi Dragon
3 Scalding Tongs

I went 5-0-1 during prelims and was the
number one seed entering the top eigth.

The Top Eight was:

Aaron Muranaka - Sligh
Joe Ellis - Living Death
Gabe Garcia - Living Death
Aaron Stein - Living Death
Jon Beckmon - White Weenie w/tradewinds
Daniel ? - White Weenie
Jack Stanton - Trade Awake
Chris Scanlon - Reins of Power + Alter of Dementia

Funny quotes and happenings at the tournaments:

If you play sligh I will lose all respect for you.
- Jack Stanton before the tournament

Spinal graft my foul imp.
- Mike Vaugn first round opponent. The sad part is I
  lost this game.

My deck usually crushes sligh.  You shouldn't have beat me.
- Jon Beckmon after I beat his white weenie/propaganda/
  tradewind deck third round.  He shows me the four main deck
  bottle gnomes, mana leaks, and propgandas that never showed
  up.

Lets draw.
- Me upon meeting my fifth round opponent and realizing he was
  playing white weenie.

Joe Ellis declines an intentional draw with me round six
because he doesn't want to lose rating points.  I beat
him two to zero.

My deck beats sligh.  Living death is your worst matchup.
- Joe Ellis after I beat him round six

That was a good oath of druids.  So was that.
- Me to Jack Stanton after he oaths away three capsizes
  and two whispers of the muse with a awakening out during
  the second game of our quarterfinals match.

Just because I'm anal could you fan your sideboard.
- Joe Ellis to Aaron Stein during the semi finals.  Stein has
  a fourteen card sideboard and is given a game loss.  Good play Joe.

After I lose the first game to Gabe Garcia in the semifinals
I turn my baseball cap backwards and ask him if has seen the
highly underrated Sly Stallone movie Over the Top.  He informs
me he has and challenges me to a arm wrestling match.  I lose.

I have a feeling I'm going to lose to Gabe...at ARM WRESTLING.
- Me during the arm wrestling match.  I go on to win the match
  against Gabe.

Furnace of rath.  Raging goblin hits you for six.  Sonic burst
you for eight.
- Me during the semi finals match against Gabe when I draw my
  furnace for the first time the whole tournament.  Furnace is
  some good.

Your deck is a pile of crap.
- Joe Ellis after he lobotomies me in the finals.  By the way
  fouth turn lobotomy is not a strong play versus sligh.

Didn't I already beat you today?
- Me to Joe Ellis after he calls my deck a pile of crap.

Do you always draw this good or is only against me?
- Joe Ellis after lobotomizing me and seeing a shock, a furnace
  of rath, and a sonic burst in my hand.

I never respected you anyway.
- Jack Stanton after I win the tournament.

I didn't think anyone would play sligh or I playtested that
deck and it sucked.
- At least eight people throughout the tournament

Other funny facts or how I got lucky:

- I had 0 chills and 0 warmth cast against me

- In four matches vs. living death:
  Living death was only cast against me in one game-I lost.
  Reccuring nightmare was also only cast once and never suceeded
  in bringing a creature into play.
  My opponents played first turn mox diamond: 0 times.

- The final eight brackets ended up so all the white weenie
  decks were in the other half

- Times I mulliganned: Once
  Times my opponents mulliganed: Nine

- No one had any good sideboard cards.
  Jack Stanton takes out eight cards.  I know he does not have
  enough good cards in his sideboard to replace them.
  Joe Ellis has 0 sideboard cards for me
  Gabe Garcia sideboards in a WARRIOR ANGEL ( I find myself
  troubled )

Match Records:

1-0 v. Hatred
1-0 v. Sligh
4-0 v. Living Death
1-0 v. Trade Awake
1-0-1 v. White Weenie

So I qualified for the Pro Tour.  It feels good to be back.
Now to props and slops.

PROPS:

John Yoo for a dumb deck with eight giant strentghs
Jack Stanton for four dollars sleeves
Joe Ellis for being a good sport despite verbally abusing me
Gabe Garcia for also being a good sport
Chris Scanlon for making top eight
Jack Stanton's Oath of Druids for hooking me up
Clarence the one-eyed mogg fanatic
Nick Olson for driving me down and hanging around for four
extra hours despite having a hotty waiting
Michael Callahan and Julie Painter for being proud members of
Layton Lightning
Karl Batdorff for good judging despite verbally abusing me
Bill Graham for running a fine tournament
My brother Rob for help with stuff

SLOPS:

Fourteen Card Sideboards
Jack Stanton for tricking me into splitting the prizes with
him...again

See you in Rome.

P.S.  I need a extended deck.

amuranaka@weber.edu