Subject: PTQ New York City *Top 8* (Adam Fullen) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 13:34:03 -0400 From: Jerome Guardiano To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com The following report was written by Jerry Guardiano for Adam Fullen (because I’m a better writer and because I begged him to let me do it) The Place: New York, New York (what a wonderful town) The Format: Rath Cycle (also known as TSE) The Chance of Winning: None (just like two weeks ago (see J. Guardiano’s previous report (Edison, NJ (don’t you just love parenthesis)))) Obligatory Background (written in the Reader’s Digest version so as not to bore you) – Refuse to play Dojo deck, want to build deck to beat Dojo decks, have unique idea, put deck together, it works, need to acquire 4 Mox Diamonds and 4 Reins of Power and several other cards in the next 12 hours. Arrival – We arrive at the Neutral Ground in NYC still short 4 Diamonds and 3 Reins of Power. Let me tell all of you who don’t live in the NY area what it’s like to get cards around here. New Yorkers just don’t give a shit. You could walk up to somebody and offer a Lotus for a Diamond and if they don’t need a Lotus then you ain’t getting no stinking Diamond. However, after some serious trading and assistance from a saint of a guy (who LENT me a bunch of cards I needed) we were ready to go. With only 5 minutes left before the registration deadline, I rapidly fill out my deck registration form and turn it in (I can not state strongly enough the need to take your time when filling out your registration form). The Competitors – Many big name players were in attendance trying to re-qualify. As my bud J. Guardiano (who as I said earlier is the one writing this report so will mention his name at will) points out, the difference between playing in NYC as opposed to Arizona (our former stomping ground) is this. In AZ there are probably about 10 Pro Tour caliber players. These players are just as good as any player in NYC. However, in NYC (and surrounding areas) the quality is not better but the quantity is. The Deck – For all of you, who want to copy the idea, it has great potential, for this environment and the upcoming T2 environment. I’m sure others will lend their own ideas and improve upon it but for today it was all mine. (Note from the author: I didn’t get Adam’s exact decklist so the following is approximately what was in it) Blue 4 Reins of Power (just awesome) 4 Counterspells 4 Mana Leaks 2 Mawcors Green 4 Wall of Blossoms 2 Harrows White 4 Priests 4 Disenchants Red 4 Goblin Bombardments Artifacts 4 Mox Diamonds 2 Scroll Racks Land (Author’s Note: I have no idea the combination of lands in this monstrosity) Anyway you get the idea I’m sure. Reins of Power, attack, and then sac all your opponents creatures to the bombardment. It’s a Wrath of God killing only your opponent’s creatures while making him feel the pain from the bombardment. And did I mention it’s an instant. Oh my God. Here we go….. Round 1 – Living Death (You gotta love this matchup) Game 1: Horrible draw on my side of the table. Never see much land. Quick build up on his side. Living death hit’s the table I die shortly after that. Game 2: I draw a Reins in my opening hand and I think that’s game and it was. I let him build up until he LDs and I attack him for 23 with his own creatures on the next turn. Talk about fun. Game 3: See Game 2 Matches 1 – 0 Round 2 – Mark Pashover (Playing Mono Blue). Mark is a very good player as shown by his second place finish two weeks ago at the qualifier in Edison, NJ. Game 1: Mark is mana jacked and priests go all the way for a fairly quick beatdown. Game 2: We both get going fairly well. I drop a Goblin Bombardment (this is the first time it’s hit the table so far today). I wish I could describe the look on peoples faces all day long. It was like quizzical, then disbelief, and then disgust. Anyway, no reins needed the priests and some saccing in the end was game. Matches 2 – 0 Round 3 – Jeremy Kaufman (Another very talented player playing anther mono blue control capsize tradewind thingy) Game 1: Mana problems and I go down in a heap Game 2: It all starts rocking. Blossoms, and harrows, and priests, I drop the bombardment, which he shows a total disregard for. He has been holding me off with creatures of his own. He then taps out to play a tradewind and boom. Next turn I Reins. I attack for a couple then chuck his stuff at him (once again we get that look…you know the one…yeah that’s it). He never recovers and priests go all the rest of the way. Game 3: See Game 2 Matches 3 – 0 Round 4 – Dave Williams (Another very good player playing another mono blue) Mono blue was big today, prolly to try and offset the amount of LD decks Game 1: Game goes back and forth for a while. Both of us were low on life. Next turn he would win. It is my turn. Goblin Bombard is in play. My hand: Disenchant, Reins, and Counterspell. I’m at 3 life and have a couple of walls in play. He has 3 cards, 6 life and three creatures in play. I cast the Reins. He forbids with buyback saccing his other two cards. After some deliberation I counter the forbid. This is where the argument ensues. His position is that the forbid had already resolved. My position is that I was still contemplating. Anyway there are two sides to every story, that’s why there are judges. Judge rules in my favor and I win the game. In retrospect, I probably thought about it a little too long. After all he had no more cards in his hand. Of course I would counter. It was a no-brainer, however, I wanted to make sure of everything before I cast the counterspell. Game 2: Big time beatdown by sharks. I wasn’t even done shuffling and I was already dead. Game 3: The game goes back and forth back and forth. I hold him off for a while with scraggies. Time runs out a turn or two before I would have died by his flyers. Dave asks the judge for extension (on top of the 5 minutes we were already given) and the judge declines. Dave asks me if I will give him the win, I refuse. Would he have done the same, I think not. Dave calls me an A-hole several times before I go for a smoke. (Author’s note: I believe Dave is a pretty decent guy who just got a little over zealous) Matches 3 – 0 – 1 Round 5 – Somebody playing Living Death (LD is absolutely no match for my deck) Game 1 and Game 2 – See ya Matches 4 – 0 – 1 Round 6 – Casey Warmbrand (Author’s note: Casey turned out to be a pretty decent guy. A little excitable maybe, but pretty decent, so I apologize for any disparaging remarks I made about him in my last report) We ID Final 8 Game 1: Deck check…Damn…After a short while the judge pulls me aside to tell me that I had marked 3 Scroll Racks on the deck registration but only 2 were in the deck. See what I mean about taking your time. I take a one game loss and need to find a scroll rack in the next 5 minutes….arghhhh….Dave lends me the scroll rack and I put it in the deck…See Dave did turn out to be pretty decent. Game 2: He comes in fast with Shark beatdown. A last ditch effort to Reins is met with NO COUNTERSPELL????!!!???? Who knew? I’m back in the game. Sacc all his dudes to the bombardment. Then it crumbles…. I draw land after land after land and say goodnight gracie. Props - To me for such an original deck - To Judge Tony for a good call in Round 4 - To me for such an original deck - To everybody who said my deck was so original - Serious props to the dude who lent me the cards - To Hefe the car parking lot dude for watching our $30K truck for us and even finding a parking spot on the street for me after the lot closed - To me for such an original deck Slops - To WOTC for the crappy cards I got in the packs I won - To me for f’ing up my registration form Later…. And good luck in Rome to our bud Jacob Stirler (the best no-name in the world)