Hey guys, just wanted to drop a little post about my GP Vancouver experience. This was my first standard season and I had played about 3 FNM's before this GP in addition to any test playing I did myself and with friends. Had a blast and wanted to let you guys know how it went! I started off my PyroDragons for about a month of play, and played it twice at FNM, but I had been feeling the Big Boros list and decided a few weeks out that it would be my list for the GP.
Played some grinders the first day to get a feel for the field since this was my first tournament outside of my store. Got to the 3rd round of the 5 round pre-GP GPT grinders. Was playing mostly for packs, since according to a Canadian law, all the standard side events at the GP gave free packs just for joining, since some gambling law prevented the event organizers just taking our money to play Magic. The EV at the event was awesome, but I
digress. Performed decently the first day, play a couple more side events and got not too much sleep that night cause I was pretty excited
Match 1:
My first match at a GP! I played against G/B aggro, with Dreg Mangler, Scavenging Ooze, Heroes Downfall, Experiment One. Game 1 I had a balanced hand with a couple Ash Zealot, good mana and some removal. As it happened, my deck decided to draw me into 2 more Ash Zealots over the first few draw steps and I basically just outpaced him completely with 4 Ash Zealots and taking out his threats with a couple burn spells. I saw a Polukranos game 1, so I knew he was capable of bigger threats. In came some more Mizzium Mortars, Rakdos Cacklers out and I was ready for the control role. He plays a lot of big threats, I burn some small creatures, have a Phoenix in the air and I'm chipping away. I chain his Polukranos and Warleader's Helix the follow-up Kalonian hydra (phew). From
here he's gassed and I slowly finish him off.
2-0 games, 1-0 Overall
Match 2:
Up against Boros Burn! I didn't realize this until he played his third land and hadn't played any creatures. I had a rather low threat high removal hand on the draw, didn't have many options and I opted to race, though I knew I was a severe disadvantage in that department now. It came down to me with 3 health and him with 4, and him top decking. But he had his scrys set up and finished me off with a Lightning Strike off the top. I wasn't sure about the sideboard exactly with this one, I took out some Mizzium mortars and chains and sided in last breath to maybe pad my health at times and a few other cards (most of this report is off the top of my head). I was able to outrace him game 2 with a better draw. Game 3 he had to unfortunately mull to 3 and it was a pretty easy win.
4-1 in Games, 2-0 in matches
Match 3:
Mono B devotion.
I was quite confident with my Mono B matchup, just with the deck itself and cause it was the single matchup where I had had quite a bit more practice against a proxy deck with friends. I win game 1 in an unexciting fashion, had a 1 drop, some follow up threats, he wasn't able to stabilise although he did Lifebane Zombie my chains away and kept me on my toes for a Desecration Demon, but he apparently didn't have it in hand. Game 2 was probably the tightest game in the GP, I got him down to 1, but was low on threats and couldn't finish him off after having skullcracked in response to his pharika's cure on my cackler. He had connections out and a whip of erebos so his mutavault swinging in started gaining him health and allowing him to start the card drawing. Eventually he got a Grey Merchant after having slowly grinding me down. Game 3, luck was on my side. I kept a 1 lander with 3 Rakdo's cacklers, and was able to draw the mountain off the top. 3 Cacklers by turn 2 was able to get there with a few follow-
up threats, I never lost a point of health. This match was apparently against an experienced player who grinds a couple SCG events; Wesley Higgbee (?) ended up placing 30 something. I may have been his lone loss, or 1 of 2, from Day 1. Felt good.
6-2 games, 3-0 in matches.
Match 4:
Mono U. Oh boy. I knew going in it was a tough match-up (at least for me) but knew I had the tools to beat the deck. Unfortunately for me, he had some good draws, not amazing, but far better than my mediocre hands. I didn't have answers either game, and I likely made some poor decisions when I was against the wall and had to chain some of his less threatening threats due to low removal. Of course, he has the Master of Waves the next turn. Props to him, he was a confident guy with his deck, but I feel this match-up just happened where he drew those good ol' turn 1 cloudfin raptor, into turn 2 cloudfin, judges familiar into turn 3,4 tidebinder, frostburn weird, wait for the master of waves, kind of hands.
6-4 games,
3-1 in matches
Match 5:
A local player, with another Golgari aggro deck. I wasn't impressed from my first match against the similar deck, this one having Varolz and maybe less big beaters. I knew to be aware of Abrupt Decay, but other than that I just did what my hand allowed. Both games I removed each and every threat he played as he complained about the first game being mana-screwed, then the second game being flooded. I felt he had some plays most turns of both games, but hey I guess that's cause I'm winning. Straight forward match-up, Mizzium Mortars things, Lightning Strike things, then just keep tapping those Phoenix and playing Stormbreath.
8-4 games, 4-1 Matches
Match 6:
Now I didn't know this, but apparently the more you win the closer you are to the top tables. I noticed this when I was sitting at table 36, and noticed Christian Calcano two seats over to my right. That was kinda surreal haha, probably should have kept my focus more. Then I look immediately to my right and, OH,
hey it's John Stern. Please, don't tell me I'm facing Owen Turtenwald...
Nope, it's a psuedo R/W Mirror! Player by the name of Andrei who ended up around 110th Day 2? He was playing the Big Boros deck from a couple weeks back with Elspeth and Purphoros, etc. He seemed a lot more experienced with this red mirror, and I likely played it all wrong. Game 1 I didn't have a chance, I believe I mulled to 6, not sure exactly how I played, but my life pad shows I didn't do a single point of damage as he whittled me down. He got a Chandra (the real nice looking black San Diego Comic-Con one :O) out and eventually a Stormbreath Dragon and it was gg. Game 2, I had a better chance having assigned myself to a bigger plan myself, with my Reckoners and removal. It was tight, but I think an early misplay where I overcommitted to the board with 2 Phoenix and he had an Anger the next turn sealed my fate in that game. It ended up with a tight life-total matchup with us both chaining each others Reckoners and trying to
play our big threats out. He ended up with an Elspeth for the finish after dealing with my Dragons. Had I not gotten those Phoenix killed I likely would have had too much pressure for that game.
8-6 Games, 4-2 Matches
Match 6:
Grand Prix day 2 hopes on the line! I didn't have any expectations either way coming into the tournament so basically just felt good with every win I got. I was starting to tire though, it was around 4-5 pm, I had slept 4 hours the night before (which hadn't been a problem at all until this time in the day) but I figured I slog through it. I got a refocused mind set as I sat down against Esper Control. He won the role, I got him down to 9 before he stabilised with a Blood Baron which I had no Mizzium Mortars to answer it. This game slipped away from me, I believe I had a firm advantage prior to this, he was low on cards but eventually I drew no answers. Second game, the match-up went how I'd like, I aggro him out with a Cackler in Ash Zealot and the games ends quickly.
Lucky, since the first game took around 25 minutes. We have about 15 minutes left on the clock once game 3 starts. I push for an early aggressive start, he stonewalls me with a BB, I have the MM in hand. Next turn, a second BB. I need throw some card advantage away and 2 for 1 myself to take it out, expecting him to be quite low on threats now. As I start reestablishing my board presence, he's able to get the Sphinx's Revs and draw into the Elspeth and start making tokens. I have an out in drawing a land for an overloaded MM, but with Jace, Elspeth and a grip full of cards in hand I have to concede. It had already gone into 5 turn over time and we were the last match playing.
9-8 in games, 4-3 in matches
At this point, I decided to drop and hang with my friends and play some side events. As it turns out, some 6-3 players still made Day 2, despite the announcement early on that 7-2 was what you needed to ensure the
second day of play. I probably should have stuck around, played it out to get a better ranking and just practice some more, but I was pretty tired. Handled the food and drink situation well, kept myself fed the whole day. Next time I'll get some more sleep
Overall a fantastic experience for me, I ended up placing 405th, which made me regret not playing it out for a higher spot. My buddy made it to 5-3 before being eliminated, he got 350th ish since he had horrible breakers starting off 0-2. My consolation prize, I played a Standard Win-a-Box Sunday and took it down, 2-0ing the R/w Devotion day-2 player who eliminated my 5-3 buddy, and then playing 2-0ing a G/R monsters player who started off with triple BTE into turn 2/3 Garruk and then splitting for 1st. Got maybe 50 some packs over the weekend and couldn't resist cracking pretty much every one.
Looking forward to what the DTE community comes up with post BotG! I
think I've caught the bug, 5 months into Magic now and I really just wanna play more tournaments >:D. Too bad SCG has no presence up in Canada
Cheers guys!
EDIT: OH, right the deck. Hehe, I basically took Lazerburn's list from a few pages back, all props to him and MDU and J_S and everyone who helped develop the list.
[DECK]
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Chained to the Rocks
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Warleader's Helix
1 Assemble the Legion
11 Mountain
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Mutavault
2 Boros Guildgate
SIDEBOARD:
3 Boros Reckoner
2 Mizzium Mortar
2 Last Breath
2 Boros Charm
2 Glare of Heresy
1 Wear//Tear
1 Assemble the Legion
[/DECK]
