Subject: Fargo PTQ Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 13:41:33 From: "Lindsay Nauen/Richard Weil/Noah Weil/Ben Weil" To: Fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Well I played in the Fargo qualifier on Dec. 6. Came up with about 20 other people from the Twin Cities, most had a pretty good time. For the most part, the tourney was excellently run by Paradox games. I understand the judges were a little imcompetant in the side events; I unfortunately was to busy getting slaughtered in the main event to notice. Anyway, here is my contribution to extended Tech, which I fondly call "Deck I Used at the Fargo Qualifier". 4 Ball Lightnings 4 Bolt 4 Incinerate 4 Fireblast 4 Fanatic 3 Fireslingers 3 Dwarven Miners 4 Ehrnams 3 Ironclaw Orcs 2 Cursed Scroll 1 Hammer of Card Advantage 2 Pyrokinesis land 4 Wasteland 2 Mishra's 6 Mountain 4 Taiga 4 Badlands 3 Mountain Valley Sideboard: 2 Anarchy 2 Terror 3 Pyroblast 1 E. Charm 3 Tranquil Domain 1 Pyrokinesis 1 Detonate 2 Blood Moon Notes: Ok, the Pyrokinesises standard was a Huge mistake. Sided out almost everytime, and sided in once. Not good. Secondly, the Wastelands and Miners were great. I mean Huge. Massively useful, almost never regretted drawing them. Cursed Scrolls were very useful when they went off, however they had a tendency to get disenchanted with alacrity. Everything else was useful often. Oh, obviously this was origonally Opalka'a Texaco deck, although I believe I improved it in some respects. Miners over Vandels seem obvious, and I believe the Cursed Scrolls were a lot more useful against Hymns then Tactics. The Sideboard was changed extensively, as should always be done. Sideboard is too area/metagame dependent to have an optimum one. Finally, you may notice the deck is 61 cards. Actually, an accident but it's impossible to know if it helped or hindered. Probably the latter, but oh well. Here's the rounds Round 1 Justin Pre Game: I was psyched, rarin to go. We had a little conversation beforehand, asking how often I go to qualifiers etc. He found out I had played in 6 previous Pro Tours (thankfully didn't ask me how I did in any of them). So he likes does this sigh and tells his friend I get to play the 6 PT guy first round. Obviously, he was intimidated, and obviously it did no good cause: Game 1: Mana Screwed, game Game 2: Really badly Mana Screwed, game. He was playing a very suspect 4 color "decent stuff" deck that would have sucked it up against wastelands, had I drawn them. Oh well. (Justin ended up 2-4) I admit, I was pretty disheartened after a first round loss, essentially suicide tie breaks. I got into the habit of bashing my deck after every round, which wasn't a bad move cause I started winning... Round 2 Pat Game 1: I get a solid draw consisting of Wasteland and Miner; go to town. Pat's playing Enduring Bombardment, which, by the way, can't win if there's an active Miner on the table. I get him in a lock and it's game. In goes Enchantment killers, out go some stupid stuff including that worthless kinesis Game 2: This one is a little more interesting. He gets to 2 land, and then doesn't play a 3rd. I realize he's either screwed, or wants to tithe, or both so I just live off 2 lands for a while (it was both) eventually he plays his 3rd, but by this time I have decent control in my hand, consisting of critters, burn and enchantment kill. Finally he's at 4 and goes for broke. Casts the Renewal, I see 3 Force of Wills as his only permission. Cast the Tranq Domain, he Forces. I Fireblast, game. Neither of us realized he could have kept going and gotten a draw. Stupidity cancels I guess... Round 3 Eddie Finally play someone from the Twin Cities. A nice enough guy, playing Bombardment Game 1,2: Miner and Wastlands = game Note: If this report proves anything, it's how bad bombardment is. Not one made final 8, or even final 16, and obviously miners and wastelands will destroy it. Round 4 A Canadian Game 1: Something different, Tax/Rack. This guy was an excellent player, who knew how to keep his land count low, and did it well too. Unfortunately my deck can run on low land as well as his and it was over. Only time I sided in 'Kinesis, never came up Game 2: He started off strong but again couldn't tax. I got in damage when I could and finally used my last card, Das Ball, for the win. Tough, lucky win. Real nice guy Round 5 Austin Game 1: Something diffrent again, straight black mostly classic Necro. He had the whole Lake/Mishra's Sengir, Shade, Order deal. I took him out fast and hard first game. Game 2: Things slowed down fast. He started 'Taaling and Disking, my fireslingers were raging. Eventually he got a Shade out, but wouldn't attack cause of my untapped Ehrnam and Ironclaw. You read that right. Regardless of his errors he was pilling on attackers and eventually overwhelmed me. Game 3: He gets an early Lake which gets Wastelanded, ut not before bringing out Mr. Shade. He was coming at me, I was coming at him, eventauly burned him for 10. Peak Sligh Strategy. Round 6 Nice guy, good player Game 1: He had one solid deck. R/W/U, bout 10 critter Pro Red including Priests, Freewinds, and Firewalkers. Ouch. Too bad the Priests can't block, but they do put Sligh on a clock. Anyway he gets two Priests raging with a Freewind holding back. I was dealing some damage with Mishra's and popping his land with Miner. Eventually enough suicide runs kill him the turn before he kills me Game 2: Standard back and forth unil he geddons with a priest on the table. Unfortunately for him, I recover faster. Again I kill him the turn before he kills me, this time he was one land shy of a passage. Ouch. Real cool guy with an excellent deck. Interlude: So by now I'm 5-1 due to some massive luck, one more round win and I'm in the final 8. I can't draw in due to my piss Tie Breakers. Round 7 Mike Tapper Pre Game: Mr. Tapper is an excellent player from the cities but luck fest kicks in again and I get a free game for his mis-registered deck list. ok... Game 1: I get going fast and just overwhelm him, but I have a feeling a true 2 of 3 would have been a different story. Whew, made final 8! I was pretty pleased getting 6 wins after my initial loss, as it was my fantasy from PT Chicago. (I went 0-4) Quarterfinals ??? Game 1: Another excellent, nice guy with an excellent deck. Mostly blue with some red with Winter Orbs, War Beasts, Waterspouts etc. Solid. Unfortunately, my judicious use of Wastelands slow him slightly enough to squeak out a win. Game 2: He gets an early War Beast and goes crazy. I'm at 5 when he's at 12, I have 1 Fanatic on the table with a Cursed Scroll and 2 Fireblasts in my hand. Draw and use my Wasteland on his one non-basic, leaving him 4 lands. Attack with Fanatic. Sac it, tap 3 sac em all to the 2 Fireblasts and Cursed scroll for the final 2. I find out later he had one counter in his hand, a Force of Will which he unfortunately couldn't cast thanks to Wasteland. Go luck fest Semifinals Chuck Heck Game 1: A Twin Cities player that I've played many times before, he's playing R/W assault with knights, war beasts etc. Anyway, he takes me out Game 2: Early Emisarry is getting some hits in, but I'm working my Cursed Scroll for damage as well. Chuck makes some valiant attempts to stem my critters, like Firestorming with 1 white open etc. I see the passage, get my ball lightning through etc. I don't think he was trying to cheat, he was too nervous. Fianlly though I get enough damage through and win. Barely. Game 3: All comes down to this. Winner basks in LA's sun, loser, uh, doesn't. To make a long story short, and it wasn't even that long, I get mana screwed with Wastelands this time and am staring at a Ball Lightning and 3 Fireblasts when I succumb to no invite land. I was approached later by some people telling me you played so well, Chuck kept making mistakes and the like. Ah well, some comfort. Luck tends to even out, and I know I was enjoying the good side of it for a while. Hope this report helps any competitors. Wastelands really are game winners. Noah Weil DCI #9377 "[snappy quote]"