Subject: [Report] Standard, 97.9.19 Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 09:57:22 -0400 From: Seyil Yoon To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com First, the deck: 4 Adarkar Wastes 3 Brushland 2 City of Brass 1 Island 1 Kjeldoran Outpost 1 Sheltered Valley 2 Undiscovered Paradise 4 Plains 4 Icy Manipulator 1 Mana Web 3 Marble Diamond 1 Moss Diamond 2 Serrated Arrows 2 Sky Diamond 2 Winter Orb 4 Impulse 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Power Sink 2 Gaea's Blessing 1 Titania's Song 4 Abeyance 3 Armageddon 2 Disenchant 1 Enlightened Tutor 3 Swords to Plowshares 3 Wrath of God Sideboard: 2 Winter Orb 1 Dream Tides 1 Hydroblast 2 Elephant Grass 3 Circle of Protection: Red 2 Disenchant 1 Divine Offering 1 Gerrard's Wisdom 1 Swords to Plowshares 1 Wrath of God --- Round 1: Steve Cassell, CounterBurn Game 1: All I can say is, he played 4 Force of Wills, 3 Counterspells, and 3 Dissipates out of about 1/3 of his deck. His Nevinyrral's Disk ended up destroying 1 Winter Orb and 3 Diamonds. In the end, he was at 5 life, me at 9, he had 1 card in his hand, I had 6, so he Earthquakes for 9 and that's a draw. Game 2: Again, I see 3 Force of Wills, 3 Counterspells, and 4 Dissipates. Silly me, I didn't sideboard in any extra Disenchants for his Nevinyrral's Disks, thinking that 2 extra Winter Orbs would cause him headaches enough. He cleared the board twice with his Nevinyrral's Disks and then I got Hammer of Bogardan'd to death. Game 3: Again, I see 4 Force of Wills, 2 Counterspells, and 3 Dissipates, but he spent too many resources trying to kill my Winter Orbs that I managed to sneak a Kjeldoran Outpost by and swarm him. Result: 1-1-1 (0-0-1) Round 2: (someone), Sligh Game 1: As is wont with this deck, I get slightly mana-screwed with 1 land and a couple of diamonds. The one land was an Undiscovered Paradise. He gets out first turn Goblin Vandal, so I've got a bit of a problem. Fortunately for me, he's mana-screwed as well as having a mediocre draw, so after he plays his second mountain and an Ironclaw Orcs, he doesn't do much else for the rest of the game (I have no clue what he had in his hand, could it have been that bad?). In any case, I manage to get out 4 lands after being beaten down to about 5, then Wrath of God, then gain control with multiple Icy Manipulators and the game's mine. Game 2: I just got swarmed. 'nuff said. Game 3: I get out Diamonds on turns 2, 3, and 4, and he gets a Goblin Vandal plowed. I Armageddon in the middle of the game with 2 Serrated Arrows out and I maintain control. As well, I had a Circle of Protection: Red out and he never did anything about it while he still had the mana. *shrug* Result: 2-1-0 (1-0-1) Round 3: (someone), Red / Green Game 1: This guy plays REALLY slowly, so I worry a bit about time limits, as my first two rounds have gone to within minutes of the limit. In any case, this guy's playing pretty standard green creatures (nothing huge) with red burn. No artifact destruction in the main deck (that I saw), so I lock him up pretty easily. Game 2: First turn, he plays a Mountain. Second turn, he plays an Urza's Tower. !!! WTF? Kinda scary ... Anyways, he ends up bringing out a couple of Orcish Lumberjacks which I managed to arrow away, then he Disintegrates me for about 7. Next turn, I Gerrard's Wisdom for 14. Much better ... I managed to get out a CoP: Red which he Tranquil Domains at the end of my turn, and then it's just a mad hunt for the Armageddon. I had pulled 1 of my Gaea's Blessings out for this duel, but the 9 cantrips got me what I needed and I Armageddon'd eventually with a Winter Orb and 2 Icy Manipulators out. He got token'd to death. Result: 2-0-0 (2-0-1) Round 4: (someone), Enchantress Deck Game 1: So why am I playing an Enchantress Deck in the fourth round? Because the turnout of the tournament was pretty low, and he had had a bye by which he got 3 match points, and the judge didn't want to give him a bye again. In any case, first game I saw NOTHING of his deck. An Eye of Singularity, Wild Growths, Elephant Grass, and Primal Order (!!!). They all go away, and with an Armageddon, I get rid of all of his permanents and Song him to death. Game 2: Pretty much the same as game 1, except this game I actually saw a Verduran Enchantress and an Empyrial Armor, but he got locked down again. (BTW, the Aura of Silence was rather scary) Result: 2-0-0 (3-0-1) So I'm into the quarterfinals. Here's what the seedings were: 1st: Gab Tsang (Necro/LD) 2nd: Steve Cassell (he went undefeated after our draw as well) 3rd: Me (Seyil Yoon) 4th: Adrian Dion (Prison with LOTS of permission) Semifinals: Steve Cassell Game 1: I get the 1 Outpost draw. So I figure, he's got a Thawing Glaciers and there are some creatures in his deck (Wildfire Emissary, Rainbow Efreet), so I should be toast. After discarding 4 times, I manage to play an Adarkar Wastes which he Pillages. Two turns after that, I play another land which stays. Next turn, I play another land and from there on in, I start spitting out the Diamonds. His 1 Nevinyrral's Disk in the main deck never shows up and I actually manage to token him to death. What a comeback! Game 2: I get the 1 Undiscovered draw, and he proceeds to pound on me. Game 3: This time, I sideboarded right. I had so many must-counter spells in my deck at this time that he just ran out of resources trying to get rid of Winter Orbs, Mana Web, and Armageddon. I eventually get a Titania's Song out and he resigns. Result: 2-1-0, onto the Finals. Finals: Gab Tsang It's about midnight and I have to work the next morning, so we agree to a split. In any case, we're teammates so I have no desire to play him. --- Thoughts on the deck: 1. I sideboarded the Gaea's Blessings out rather often, as the Song and the 1 Outpost were sufficient for the victory. The Blessings were nice, though, especially against Steve, as I could put back in the Winter Orbs and Armageddons which he had countered. 2. Abeyance is SO good! It allowed me to weed out permission, as well as leaving the field clear for an Armageddon. There are two ways of using this card, and as a result is ALWAYS good. I've frequently seen people use it to freeze their opponent early on in the game for 1 turn, but I think this is a suboptimal use for the card. 3. I still haven't decided between Elephant Grass and Dream Tides. I'm leaning towards Dream Tides right now, but the UU in the casting cost is a bit harsh. 4. 2 Undiscovered Paradises for this deck is PERFECT. 5. 1 Sheltered Valley for this deck is PERFECT. Hope you enjoy this.