Killer Joe
New member
Exit 13 (name of shop)
New Kensington, PA
Thursday Nov. 16
12 participants - Type II (slow night)
Round 1
U/W Control vs. 5C Dragon
Game 1: One of my young friends was my first opponent. He's a good player and his decks are usually 'net decks' (remember, that's okay to do) but tonight he used an original (and 'yes' that's also okay). He didn't miss a land drop for like six turns but never casted anything, then he dropped a Dragon, <me: Counter>, I had built up enough of a defense with counters and Wrath's that he had virtually no way to get through, oh yes, I had Story Circle in play (Green) and a Kor Haven. I also tried out new 'Tech' that works well in this deck, I'll mention it later. He finally says, "I'm getting sick of you, Mark." And you know what? I didn't care, to know me is to know that I usually have a weak stomach for tourney play, but now I'm working on that. I win by eventually getting out my single Air Elemental (yup, the only one in the deck AND the only creature in the deck).
Game 2: It was boring and I stalled long enough to do the same as I did in the first game.
2-0
1-0
----------------------------------------------
Round 2
U/W Control vs. G/W Blinding Angel
Game 1: This guy is also a good friend of mine, he is truly original (most of the time), he's the guy who shows up at 1.x tournaments with a deck that has cards like Wall of Resistance and the likes. He knows what deck I'm playing but didn't know about my new 'Tech' <I'll tell you later about it>. Well, he starts off by beating me down with early elves with Armadillo Cloak on them and finally I get my Wrath out. Whew, I was down to like 4 life. By now he has mana galore and starts to plop down Big guns, TWO AT A TIME! I start to run out of counters and ways to deal with these guys and "POP", I top deck a Story Circle, guess what color I name, yup, White. I eventually Rout him at the end of his turn and find Air Elemental as my next card. I play him and let the accumulated Angel attacks go away all the while I Fact of Fiction Twice for more counters and I win by Air Beatdown, it took awhile because of his early dillo'd Elves.
Game 2: A frickin' nightmare, he beats me down to 1. I top deck my sideboard card 'Wash Out' and name white, The only creature left was Rhox and I had Kor Haven in play
I still lose, I never saw my Elemental (note to self: put more creatures in your deck).
Game 3: A heartbreaker, the shop Guru is playing tonight and see's that I may win so he starts to bark about Time being up, and forces us to do the 5 turn rule (no one was going to argue with him). I have my friend 'Locked Down', and I say to him, "John (not real name), you and I could 'draw' and win nothing (prizes were for top 2 only and this was a three round only tournament-we were both 1 & 0 and the draw would make us losers for prizes) or one of us could concede and have a shot at the evil shop Guru (who always, always, always wins and reminds you about it constantly for weeks afterward)." He said nothing and said "GO". I get the last turn (turn 5) and I announce the end of my turn and everyone around us (like 6 folks including the shop Guru) is waiting anxiously for answer from either of us, I was just about to concede when he says, "You Win." Horray, I think. I stood up and shook his hand said, "I won't forget this."
4-1
2-0
-------------------------------------------
Round 3
U/W Control vs. Rising Waters
Game 1: I do end up playing the shop Guru and he's not even playing with his own deck (jeezsh!). Well, needless to say, this was a mighty boring game and even though his crap talking would usually bother me, it didn't tonight. In fact, I asked him three times if he wanted to concede and that drew 'gasps' from the usual crowd (good for me). It turned out that he had more Thwarts in his hand than I did (I didn't have any and for some God forsaken reason I was 'tapped out'-I really can't remember why) and he gets a Rising Waters out and wins 20 min. later via Idol.
Game 2: Of course, I sideboard in enchanment removal and he sideboards out Rising Waters and he wins again. (note to self: sideboarding out ROUT when your opponent is playing with Idols is a Bad Thing (TM)).I hate to lose to this guy, eveyone does!!!!!
4-3
2-1
End of the night and he (the evil shop Guru) splits the winnings with another "always winning" dude (but he's another story).
Here's the deck and can you guess what card looks like it doesn't belong (I mean REALLY doesn't belong)?
U/W Control (a net deck that I like):
Blue
4x Counterspells
4x Opt
4x Accumulated Knowledge
3x Fact or Fiction
2x Foil
2x Misdirection
2x Disrupt
1x Air Elemental
1x Daze
1x Exclude
1x Rethink
White
4x Wrath of God
1x Rout
2x Dismantling Blow
1x Exile
Multi-Colored
4x Absorb
Artifact
1x Disrupting Scepter (ahem)
Land
3x Coastal Tower
4x Adarkar Wastes
9x Island
5x Plains
1x Kor Haven
Have you guessed which card is out of place?
If you guessed the Scepter, you're right. At least to me, it seems out of place. Then, I figured it out, it acts like a counter spell, it gets rid of one more card that I would have had to counter or deal with anyway, and it costs only three colorless! I only played it durning the mid-game to get a kind of lock on my opponent, however, you can only use it at times when you can play a Sorcery. But, Man, during the first two matches I saw Dragons, Angels and all kinds of goodies flying into the graveyard.
Well, I guess this is the road to whatever it is I'm looking for out there in "Tourney Land". The road looks tough, but I think I can get a hang of it, I'm working on my weak nerves, I know I can lick the problem, I just have to persevere.
Later. Mark.
New Kensington, PA
Thursday Nov. 16
12 participants - Type II (slow night)
Round 1
U/W Control vs. 5C Dragon
Game 1: One of my young friends was my first opponent. He's a good player and his decks are usually 'net decks' (remember, that's okay to do) but tonight he used an original (and 'yes' that's also okay). He didn't miss a land drop for like six turns but never casted anything, then he dropped a Dragon, <me: Counter>, I had built up enough of a defense with counters and Wrath's that he had virtually no way to get through, oh yes, I had Story Circle in play (Green) and a Kor Haven. I also tried out new 'Tech' that works well in this deck, I'll mention it later. He finally says, "I'm getting sick of you, Mark." And you know what? I didn't care, to know me is to know that I usually have a weak stomach for tourney play, but now I'm working on that. I win by eventually getting out my single Air Elemental (yup, the only one in the deck AND the only creature in the deck).
Game 2: It was boring and I stalled long enough to do the same as I did in the first game.
2-0
1-0
----------------------------------------------
Round 2
U/W Control vs. G/W Blinding Angel
Game 1: This guy is also a good friend of mine, he is truly original (most of the time), he's the guy who shows up at 1.x tournaments with a deck that has cards like Wall of Resistance and the likes. He knows what deck I'm playing but didn't know about my new 'Tech' <I'll tell you later about it>. Well, he starts off by beating me down with early elves with Armadillo Cloak on them and finally I get my Wrath out. Whew, I was down to like 4 life. By now he has mana galore and starts to plop down Big guns, TWO AT A TIME! I start to run out of counters and ways to deal with these guys and "POP", I top deck a Story Circle, guess what color I name, yup, White. I eventually Rout him at the end of his turn and find Air Elemental as my next card. I play him and let the accumulated Angel attacks go away all the while I Fact of Fiction Twice for more counters and I win by Air Beatdown, it took awhile because of his early dillo'd Elves.
Game 2: A frickin' nightmare, he beats me down to 1. I top deck my sideboard card 'Wash Out' and name white, The only creature left was Rhox and I had Kor Haven in play
I still lose, I never saw my Elemental (note to self: put more creatures in your deck).Game 3: A heartbreaker, the shop Guru is playing tonight and see's that I may win so he starts to bark about Time being up, and forces us to do the 5 turn rule (no one was going to argue with him). I have my friend 'Locked Down', and I say to him, "John (not real name), you and I could 'draw' and win nothing (prizes were for top 2 only and this was a three round only tournament-we were both 1 & 0 and the draw would make us losers for prizes) or one of us could concede and have a shot at the evil shop Guru (who always, always, always wins and reminds you about it constantly for weeks afterward)." He said nothing and said "GO". I get the last turn (turn 5) and I announce the end of my turn and everyone around us (like 6 folks including the shop Guru) is waiting anxiously for answer from either of us, I was just about to concede when he says, "You Win." Horray, I think. I stood up and shook his hand said, "I won't forget this."
4-1
2-0
-------------------------------------------
Round 3
U/W Control vs. Rising Waters
Game 1: I do end up playing the shop Guru and he's not even playing with his own deck (jeezsh!). Well, needless to say, this was a mighty boring game and even though his crap talking would usually bother me, it didn't tonight. In fact, I asked him three times if he wanted to concede and that drew 'gasps' from the usual crowd (good for me). It turned out that he had more Thwarts in his hand than I did (I didn't have any and for some God forsaken reason I was 'tapped out'-I really can't remember why) and he gets a Rising Waters out and wins 20 min. later via Idol.
Game 2: Of course, I sideboard in enchanment removal and he sideboards out Rising Waters and he wins again. (note to self: sideboarding out ROUT when your opponent is playing with Idols is a Bad Thing (TM)).I hate to lose to this guy, eveyone does!!!!!
4-3
2-1
End of the night and he (the evil shop Guru) splits the winnings with another "always winning" dude (but he's another story).
Here's the deck and can you guess what card looks like it doesn't belong (I mean REALLY doesn't belong)?
U/W Control (a net deck that I like):
Blue
4x Counterspells
4x Opt
4x Accumulated Knowledge
3x Fact or Fiction
2x Foil
2x Misdirection
2x Disrupt
1x Air Elemental
1x Daze
1x Exclude
1x Rethink
White
4x Wrath of God
1x Rout
2x Dismantling Blow
1x Exile
Multi-Colored
4x Absorb
Artifact
1x Disrupting Scepter (ahem)
Land
3x Coastal Tower
4x Adarkar Wastes
9x Island
5x Plains
1x Kor Haven
Have you guessed which card is out of place?
If you guessed the Scepter, you're right. At least to me, it seems out of place. Then, I figured it out, it acts like a counter spell, it gets rid of one more card that I would have had to counter or deal with anyway, and it costs only three colorless! I only played it durning the mid-game to get a kind of lock on my opponent, however, you can only use it at times when you can play a Sorcery. But, Man, during the first two matches I saw Dragons, Angels and all kinds of goodies flying into the graveyard.
Well, I guess this is the road to whatever it is I'm looking for out there in "Tourney Land". The road looks tough, but I think I can get a hang of it, I'm working on my weak nerves, I know I can lick the problem, I just have to persevere.
Later. Mark.