Newsgroups: uk.games.trading-cards.misc,rec.games.trsding-cards.magic.strategy From: U Stroinski Subject: MtG:The Next Generation - Who gets the Zorb in Maidenhead - Secret identity of Ms C M Brookes reveiled To: mtg-strategy-l@oracle.wizards.com,assassins@patrol.i-way.co.uk Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 12:51:35 GMT Who gets the Zorb? Sealed deck PT4 qualifier in Maidenhead - Master of Magic II in Ealing: "youngsters" dominate - The girls part: secret identity of Ms C M Brookes reveiled People asked why I didn't go to the IA/Alliances sealed deck pro qualifier in Maidenhead last week and I kept answering:"Why should I pay pounds 15 just to see whether I get the Zorb or not?" Okay, okay ... that's a bit exagerated and the real reason why I didn't go is plain and simple. I had no time. Nevertheless I spent quite a while to discuss possible sealed deck strategies with Julian Wiffen and his excellent result shows that sealed deck is not entirely based on luck. I won't go into details of the tournament (see the report of Julian or Lucy on mtg-strategy-l) only that much ... Mike Bainbridge was the only semifinalst without a Zorb. Unfortunately he didn't win this time (he won a sealed deck event at the UK nationals with a deck consisting of virtually each direct damage spell available). Furthermore Matthew "the staller" Jiggins stalled again (we didn't expect him doing anything else). Sounds like business as usual to me :-( BTW if you want your name mentioned in my report, but you are not a good player, deck constructor, member of our glorius national team or not even famous for stalling, cheating or bad refereeing I give you a chance. It might be your last chance, therefore ... take it. The question of the week: What is (where can one buy, how does it taste) ... I repeat ... what is MOXIBUSTION? You don't know it? You need a hint? Here we go ... R Garfield: I confirm ... MOXIBUSTION will NOT be in 5th edition. You can send your answers as usual to WotC, DCI or PCL, BUT if you want to get the prizes you should send them to me. And now ... the girls part During the discussions about various Stormbind decks I received (and read) a couple of very competent mails from Ms C M Brookes. Who is this person? Could she be the head of the conspiration? Maybe even connected to "the Shadows"? No fear ... Luckily I have access to the most recent us computer technology (eg the computer virus or Independence Day ...) and it was absolutely no problem for me to get the info I needed (we all know the proverbial reliability of us software). Ms C M Brookes is ... David Maher ... member of the Cardiff Cartel - UK's second best MtG team :-). Gotcha Dave :-) Sneaking around in the net, spying out strategies of The Assassins :-) Gathering information, anonymously ... just to be prepared for TV XI. Even the female identity didn't fool us ;-) I wonder when they are going to post their BaubleBind ... which brings us back to the main porpose of this report. Me whining! I had a terrible weekend. Endless hours in trains and tubes, no sleep, (don't ask about girls) even fast food didn't taste. What happened? As a regular reader you might know that from the last 27 matches I played with my NewNecro deck on tournaments I won 23 and lost against a W deck (Joe Agass) and 3 Stormbind decks (Mark Jeffries, Dave Fry and ). Thus knowing about my decks weaknesses I had 2 weeks to prepare (didn't play last weekend). I came up with a lof of ideas, but the most interesting might be 2 Dystopias standard. That, with a bit of sideboarding, should do it. Full of hope (but without much sleep) I attended this weeks Master of Magic II tournament in Ealing. Organizer Steve Beer and head ref Carl Crook proved to be a good team (as usual). The athmosphere is very relaxed. "One knows each other". The format was 2 rounds of "4 player a table round robin" with the best 8 players playing ko. This format, by far not optimal, has one main advantage ... it is easy to organize. 72 players showed up, among them Oliver Schneider and Steve Lamb members of our national team (Mexico, Mexcio ....). Before the tournament started I played a couple of friendly games against Mike Bainbridge. "PowerStasis is dead". I played my PowerStasis and got him twice ;-) We both agreed that after sideboarding the situation might change in his favour, but there are still some nonstandard Stasis decks around to annoy poeople ;-) 11:00 the tournament starts Round one: Tarry Higgins Necro + Thawning Glaciers Oh no! Not many Necros around and I get one in the first round. Tarry admitted to read my weekly reports and won the first game. Good start! Next game I hit him with an Order. He drained me for ten and then he died. Decider was a classical Necro. I got it first and won. 2:1 Round two: Paul Clewlow R/G big creatures I have to much creature removal stuff and win. 2:0 Round three: Steve Bell W/G Game one he was mana screwed (Hymn, Strip) and in game two a Dystopia took out Serra, Sylvan Library and Spirit Link (weak). 2:0 I advance to the next table. Now all the winners of the previous tables met each other. Round four: Martin Waterfield R/G/B Necro/Land's Edge big creature transformer Here goes the deck design of the tournament award. A transformer strategy really nice. Only ... I got 2 first turn Ivory Towers and when he consulted for a Necro I saw the Egde. Hence, I knew his deck and won. 2:0 Round five: Richard Collcott U/W PowerStasis an copy of the deck I played at MoM I, but without the key card ;-) Richard was insiting to start our match 30 min before we should have started. I wonder why? Being the nice chap I am I agreed and started what became a 90 min battle. Game one I have a really bad start and he gets me in the Kismet/Stasis lock and decks me. Game takes 30min. Steve drops by and ask me about me feelings of being on the receiving end of a PS. I hate to play with PS, I hate to play against PS and actually PS is not very strong. I just have to prove it. Heavy sideboarding. In come the Crypts, Cane's, Glooms and stuff. Game two I get a Crypt and a Disk going. He had to use his Cane early. I deck him after 40 min. Game three He gets the ocassional bad start and I hammer him with an Order and a Hippie. No mercy with PowerStasis. After another 20 min the job is done. 2:1 At that stage I was already qualified for the final 8, as was my opponent to come Steve Lamb. Do you remember his name. Yep! The national team member himself. He was not very happy about what I wrote last week and I have to admit that I probably ...I have to say ... sorry national team ... you played against the best players in the world ... and you lost ... that happens. We were all disappointed ... I mean ... at least Mexcio you could have beaten. Steve blamed his lack of experience with Booster Draft and their limited resources of type 1.5 cards to be reasons for their (bad) performance. I guess he is right! Type 1.5 does favor US. The in-print champs should be Czech rep. Game 6 Steve Lamb Goblin Game 1 he strips 3 of my lands, but I manage to get a Sengir out. Later he thinks he made a mistake by not killing the Sengir (he tried to kill me instead). IMHO he made no mistake, since I had the next Sengir in my hand. Game 2 I don't know whether Goblin players have a sideboard, I have. 3 Strip Mines later after heavy heat I get killed by a Tactics. Game 3 I sideboard in my secret weapon. Out go the Hymns. He triple bolts me. I keep a Hippie as a blocker (no more Tactics, thanks) and attack with an Order. He counterattacks with 3 Gobbos. One gets blocked the other 2 (one Blood Lusted) contagioned. I play a RACK and game over. Uwe plays a Rack! Fun to see the spectators. Crap card, but when you go to London prepare for Gobbos. Quarter final Matthew "the staller" Jiggins B/no Necro vs Guy Bowles Erhnam/Geddon Matthew looses and stalls (as usual, I have seen it happen 3 times now). "Should I Dark Banish the Serra or not" takes about 5 min. 1:2 Steve Lamb Gobbo vs Chris Manners R/W Blinky, DD, Outpost Chris (you might know Chris from one of my last reports. I could beat him in the final of a smallish tournament in London) won the last Mox a Month and with this deck he left Steve no chance. 100% creature control. 0:2 Gary Chairman G/W ErhnamGeddon vs Michal Hull WW 2:1 Uwe Stroinski Necro vs Amit Arora guess what R/W/G Stormbind Insects I need not tell you, you already know. I win the first game with a suprising move. I have a Hippie (tapped) and a Sengir in play, he an Erhnam. Both of us are on 7 life. He attacks with Erhnam assuming I do only 6 damage next turn. I block with Sengir. Spectators are shocked. I Contagion Erhnam, get a counter on Sengir (never ever had one) and attack for 7. Game two he kills all my blockers and walks in with an Insects. Game three I have a bad start and hope I got the same. He started with Land Tax (yes I have a chance, slow game) and second turn Ivory Tower (I have lost) According to my scripts I do a total of 40 damage to him, but die to 3 Mishras (2 with Contagion counters on it). 1:2 I was very disappointed. 2 weeks preparation and I loose to a Stormbind :-( Nevertheless I have to admit that Amit is a top player. 18 years young, fast, no mistakes, very hard to surprise. Semis Chris Manners vs Gary Chairman Gary made a couple of SERIOUS mistakes. I guess he had a real black out, but shouldn't be too disappointed. Semis in such a tournament is not bad. 2:1 Amit Arora vs Guy Bowles Guy Geddoned twice with Amit having an Insects in play. The card of the day Deadly Insects (followed by Contagion). 2:0 Final Chris Manners vs Amit Arora Both friends, 18 years young played the whole final in about 20 min. I tried to take notes, but it proved to be impossible. Amit won the final game with a Mountain Yeti (never seen those in tournaments). Master of Magic II Amit Arora R/W/G Stormbind! See you next week Uwe Stroinski uwst@maths.bath.ac.uk