M
Mr_Pestilence
Guest
At the urging of Ransac, I am posting a tournament report for the Type II tournament at New Wave Atlanta this past weekend.
But first, a little background.
In the Single Card Strategies section, there has been a bit of a debate going on recently over the usefulness/uselessness of Razing Snidd. Personally, I like the card, and have used it to great advantage in my B/R land destruction deck. There are detractors and doubters of the power of Razing Snidd, but rather than rehash the arguments about it, I'll let results speak for themselves: 2 tournaments, 1 4th place finish, and 1 win since adding the Razing Snidd. If you want to read the arguments for yourself, go there now.
Good, you're back. On to the report!
Round 1: Don't know the name (sorry!); Red weenie, LD deck.
I'm terrible with names, so even though I don't remember this person's name, I hope he won't take it as a slight. Anyway, both games are pretty much the same. We use Rishadan Ports on each other's Ports, and blow up land when we can. I take an amazing amount of damage from a Rogue Kavu, but I eventually win 2-0. I didn't think too much about this deck, but that was a mistake, as we would meet again...
(matches: 1-0; games: 2-0)
Round 2: Don't know the name (see above comment on this); Fires.
I recognize my opponent, as he usually pounds me to death w/ Rebels. Not today though - I guess he wanted to play something different (for him anyway). Both games are pretty much like this: I get multiple Stone Rains in my opening hand, along w/ a Port (is this card broken, or what?). I keep my opponent land shy, burn his Birds and Elves, and a combination of Blazing Specter/Pyre Zombie goes all the way.
(matches 2-0; games 4-0)
Round 3: Well, you know; Fires.
My opponent just can't draw land, and my Ports and LD aren't helping the situation. Blazing Specters go all the way.
(matches 3-0; games 6-0)
Round 4: Another familiar face; Nether-Go w/ Dromar.
Just when you think you can't lose, along comes a deck full of permission spells - and just let me say at this point how much I HATE counterspells - I think they should cost much more to cast, or have more of a drawback, such as "pay 2 life in addition to other costs". Also, Absorb and Undermine are just plain broken cards, and it's a shame when a counterspell is better than just about any spell you can cast yourself.
At any rate, I whine and complain about various counterspells, ridiculous Fact or Fiction draws, etc., and go down hard in the first game. I have a decent sideboard (I think) for this deck, and I side in 4 Millstones (trying to get lucky by milling multiple Nether Spirits into the graveyard, turn their insane card-drawing ability against them, and Obliterate if things get out of hand). But of course, I don't draw any of this, get generally smacked around, and scoop while muttering unrepeatable oaths to myself.
(matches: 3-1; games 6-2)
Round 5: I dunno; Fires.
My only loss is to the number 1 seed, so I could probably draw in, but my opponent must play. No problem - I don't like IDs, even though I have taken them when I could, and I understand there is really no way to force people to play if they really want to draw.
Game 1: I get a ridiculous LD draw, and burn off all of his mana-critters. Pyre Zombie goes all the way.
Game 2: It's my opponent's turn to get the ridiculous draw. Turn one mana critter. Turn two Fires. Turn 3 Jade Leech (which I Terminate). Turn 4 Saproling Burst (Pyre Zombie takes one for the team). Turn 5 ANOTHER Burst. I enter scoop phase.
Game 3: My first Game 3 of the day! A birth in the finals is riding on this last game. It's touch and go for a while. He gets the early beats w/ River Boa, while I'm blowing up land. I Void for 1 to get 2 Elves and a Bird; he has to discard a Wax/Wane, and I see an Armageddon in his hand, so I cast Void at just the right time!. Next turn, he taps out to play another Boa, and I draw/play Perish! Next turn, I play Pyre Zombie, and he plays an Elf. I attack, we trade creatures, and I have no threat to follow up. On his turn, he plays a Bird and 'Geddons. Neither of us has any land or threats, so we're both in topdeck mode. Some how, I draw 3 lands befroe he gets any, and play a Zombie. The Zombie does 12-14 points before my opponent can play an Elf to block. I ask my opponent his life total, and he's at one! I play the Perish I drew, wiping out his potential blockers, and serve for the win! On to the top 4!
(matches 4-1; games 8-2)
Round 6 (Semi-finals): Andy Wolf; B/R Control.
Andy is one of the best players in Atlanta, so his name I remember.
Game 1: Andy Paris mulligans, and keeps a one land hand! My LD keeps him screwed while Pyre Zombies go all the way.
Game 2: Multiple Blazing Specters do the deed, while Andy distributes his discarded cards around the room.
(matches 5-1; games 10-2)
Round 7 (finals): Still don't know the name, but it's my first round opponent.
He has knocked off the number 1 seed (Nether-Go w/ Dromar), and earned a rematch. This is very disturbing to me! Since I couldn't touch the Counter deck, how did this guy beat it? I just don't know. Any way, it's been a long day, and I really don't feel like playing anymore. I offer several times to split the prize money, which I don't want to specify, lest any IRS agents be trolling these boards, but it was significant (to me, anyway). However, my opponent wants to play for the whole enchilada, so I agree and reluctantly shuffle up my deck.
Game 1: After dealing with an early Rogue Kavu, LD and Trench Wurms go all the way.
Game 2: Cut to the chase: I'm at 3 life, and I know my opponent has burn in his deck, so I'm in big trouble. I have the land advantage, and I have to keep destroying land to keep a game-winning Skizzik off the board. I have a Pyre Zombie, and my opponent has a Chimeric Idol, I have the mana to block with the Zombie, throw it at my opponent, and regrow it every turn, so I'm slowly wearing away my opponent's life total, but if he draws any burn, I'm dead from losing the Zombie or taking direct damage. Then, my opponent plays Kris Mage! I realize that the next turn, he can toast my Zombie and serve for the win, so I decide to take out the Mage w/ my next sacrifice. But, I forget to do this, throwing the Zombie at my opponent instead (hey, it had been a long day!). I realize this mistake immediately, but it's too late, so I untap, thinking I've lost. I regrow the Zombie while thinking about game 3. But then, just like I've been topdecking all day, I draw a solution! I look at the Shock, and realize I'm saved! I Shock the Mage, and play the Zombie - back in bidness! A couple of turns later, it's all over! Victory is mine! I take a victory lap around the store, high-fiving all the other CPA members in attendance. They're going nuts, chanting "Razing Snidd! Razing Snidd! Razing Snidd!"
(matches: 6-1; games: 12-3)
What a day for the CPA! Hey, it's not like I won a PTQ or a Pro-Tour, but it's my first win in Atlanta, after a long drought.
MVP: despite my sentimental favorite, the greatly unappreciated Razing Snidd, Pyre Zombie takes the trophy. He threw himself in front of Blastoderms and other superior creatures all day, came back from the grave to serve me again too many times to count, and never complained.
Props: all other CPA members in attendance, who kept encouraging me all day. I really felt like when I won, they won, too. You guys are great!
Slops: Me, who can't remember names for diddly.
My first round and finals opponent, who wouldn't take a prize money split before the finals, but wanted to after losing game 1. Bad form!
Oh, yeah. The decklist! I thought I was forgetting something.
Land:
4 Urborg Volcano
4 Sulphrous Springs
4 Rishadan Port
8 Mountain
6 Swamp
Spells:
4 Stone Rain
4 Pillage
4 Despoil
4 Shock
3 Void
4 Terminate
Creatures:
4 Pyre Zombie
4 Blazing Specter
2 Trench Wurm
1 (vindicated) Razing Snidd
But first, a little background.
In the Single Card Strategies section, there has been a bit of a debate going on recently over the usefulness/uselessness of Razing Snidd. Personally, I like the card, and have used it to great advantage in my B/R land destruction deck. There are detractors and doubters of the power of Razing Snidd, but rather than rehash the arguments about it, I'll let results speak for themselves: 2 tournaments, 1 4th place finish, and 1 win since adding the Razing Snidd. If you want to read the arguments for yourself, go there now.
Good, you're back. On to the report!
Round 1: Don't know the name (sorry!); Red weenie, LD deck.
I'm terrible with names, so even though I don't remember this person's name, I hope he won't take it as a slight. Anyway, both games are pretty much the same. We use Rishadan Ports on each other's Ports, and blow up land when we can. I take an amazing amount of damage from a Rogue Kavu, but I eventually win 2-0. I didn't think too much about this deck, but that was a mistake, as we would meet again...
(matches: 1-0; games: 2-0)
Round 2: Don't know the name (see above comment on this); Fires.
I recognize my opponent, as he usually pounds me to death w/ Rebels. Not today though - I guess he wanted to play something different (for him anyway). Both games are pretty much like this: I get multiple Stone Rains in my opening hand, along w/ a Port (is this card broken, or what?). I keep my opponent land shy, burn his Birds and Elves, and a combination of Blazing Specter/Pyre Zombie goes all the way.
(matches 2-0; games 4-0)
Round 3: Well, you know; Fires.
My opponent just can't draw land, and my Ports and LD aren't helping the situation. Blazing Specters go all the way.
(matches 3-0; games 6-0)
Round 4: Another familiar face; Nether-Go w/ Dromar.
Just when you think you can't lose, along comes a deck full of permission spells - and just let me say at this point how much I HATE counterspells - I think they should cost much more to cast, or have more of a drawback, such as "pay 2 life in addition to other costs". Also, Absorb and Undermine are just plain broken cards, and it's a shame when a counterspell is better than just about any spell you can cast yourself.
At any rate, I whine and complain about various counterspells, ridiculous Fact or Fiction draws, etc., and go down hard in the first game. I have a decent sideboard (I think) for this deck, and I side in 4 Millstones (trying to get lucky by milling multiple Nether Spirits into the graveyard, turn their insane card-drawing ability against them, and Obliterate if things get out of hand). But of course, I don't draw any of this, get generally smacked around, and scoop while muttering unrepeatable oaths to myself.
(matches: 3-1; games 6-2)
Round 5: I dunno; Fires.
My only loss is to the number 1 seed, so I could probably draw in, but my opponent must play. No problem - I don't like IDs, even though I have taken them when I could, and I understand there is really no way to force people to play if they really want to draw.
Game 1: I get a ridiculous LD draw, and burn off all of his mana-critters. Pyre Zombie goes all the way.
Game 2: It's my opponent's turn to get the ridiculous draw. Turn one mana critter. Turn two Fires. Turn 3 Jade Leech (which I Terminate). Turn 4 Saproling Burst (Pyre Zombie takes one for the team). Turn 5 ANOTHER Burst. I enter scoop phase.
Game 3: My first Game 3 of the day! A birth in the finals is riding on this last game. It's touch and go for a while. He gets the early beats w/ River Boa, while I'm blowing up land. I Void for 1 to get 2 Elves and a Bird; he has to discard a Wax/Wane, and I see an Armageddon in his hand, so I cast Void at just the right time!. Next turn, he taps out to play another Boa, and I draw/play Perish! Next turn, I play Pyre Zombie, and he plays an Elf. I attack, we trade creatures, and I have no threat to follow up. On his turn, he plays a Bird and 'Geddons. Neither of us has any land or threats, so we're both in topdeck mode. Some how, I draw 3 lands befroe he gets any, and play a Zombie. The Zombie does 12-14 points before my opponent can play an Elf to block. I ask my opponent his life total, and he's at one! I play the Perish I drew, wiping out his potential blockers, and serve for the win! On to the top 4!
(matches 4-1; games 8-2)
Round 6 (Semi-finals): Andy Wolf; B/R Control.
Andy is one of the best players in Atlanta, so his name I remember.
Game 1: Andy Paris mulligans, and keeps a one land hand! My LD keeps him screwed while Pyre Zombies go all the way.
Game 2: Multiple Blazing Specters do the deed, while Andy distributes his discarded cards around the room.
(matches 5-1; games 10-2)
Round 7 (finals): Still don't know the name, but it's my first round opponent.
He has knocked off the number 1 seed (Nether-Go w/ Dromar), and earned a rematch. This is very disturbing to me! Since I couldn't touch the Counter deck, how did this guy beat it? I just don't know. Any way, it's been a long day, and I really don't feel like playing anymore. I offer several times to split the prize money, which I don't want to specify, lest any IRS agents be trolling these boards, but it was significant (to me, anyway). However, my opponent wants to play for the whole enchilada, so I agree and reluctantly shuffle up my deck.
Game 1: After dealing with an early Rogue Kavu, LD and Trench Wurms go all the way.
Game 2: Cut to the chase: I'm at 3 life, and I know my opponent has burn in his deck, so I'm in big trouble. I have the land advantage, and I have to keep destroying land to keep a game-winning Skizzik off the board. I have a Pyre Zombie, and my opponent has a Chimeric Idol, I have the mana to block with the Zombie, throw it at my opponent, and regrow it every turn, so I'm slowly wearing away my opponent's life total, but if he draws any burn, I'm dead from losing the Zombie or taking direct damage. Then, my opponent plays Kris Mage! I realize that the next turn, he can toast my Zombie and serve for the win, so I decide to take out the Mage w/ my next sacrifice. But, I forget to do this, throwing the Zombie at my opponent instead (hey, it had been a long day!). I realize this mistake immediately, but it's too late, so I untap, thinking I've lost. I regrow the Zombie while thinking about game 3. But then, just like I've been topdecking all day, I draw a solution! I look at the Shock, and realize I'm saved! I Shock the Mage, and play the Zombie - back in bidness! A couple of turns later, it's all over! Victory is mine! I take a victory lap around the store, high-fiving all the other CPA members in attendance. They're going nuts, chanting "Razing Snidd! Razing Snidd! Razing Snidd!"
(matches: 6-1; games: 12-3)
What a day for the CPA! Hey, it's not like I won a PTQ or a Pro-Tour, but it's my first win in Atlanta, after a long drought.
MVP: despite my sentimental favorite, the greatly unappreciated Razing Snidd, Pyre Zombie takes the trophy. He threw himself in front of Blastoderms and other superior creatures all day, came back from the grave to serve me again too many times to count, and never complained.
Props: all other CPA members in attendance, who kept encouraging me all day. I really felt like when I won, they won, too. You guys are great!
Slops: Me, who can't remember names for diddly.
My first round and finals opponent, who wouldn't take a prize money split before the finals, but wanted to after losing game 1. Bad form!
Oh, yeah. The decklist! I thought I was forgetting something.
Land:
4 Urborg Volcano
4 Sulphrous Springs
4 Rishadan Port
8 Mountain
6 Swamp
Spells:
4 Stone Rain
4 Pillage
4 Despoil
4 Shock
3 Void
4 Terminate
Creatures:
4 Pyre Zombie
4 Blazing Specter
2 Trench Wurm
1 (vindicated) Razing Snidd
