The PTQ was last Sunday, November 17 at Robinson’s Galleria.
As per usual, I opened and registered a pretty good pool with 2 Battlegrace Angel and Tezzeret the Seeker. The pool I got passed to me and the deck I built below:
- 1 Grixis Panorama
- 1 Naya Panorama
- 1 Plains
- 3 Swamp
- 5 Mountain
- 4 Forest
- 1 Angel's Herald
- 1 Ethersworn Canonist
- 1 Excommunicate
- 2 Knight of the Skyward Eye
- 1 Marble Chalice
- 1 Soul's Grace
- 1 Welkin Guide
- 1 Call to Heel
- 2 Cancel
- 1 Cloudheath Drake
- 2 Coma Veil
- 1 Jhessian Lookout
- 1 Outrider of Jhess
- 1 Resounding Wave
- 1 Sphinx's Herald
- 1 Vectis Silencers
- 1 Banewasp Affliction
- 2 Deathgreeter
- 1 Immortal Coil
- 1 Resounding Scream
- 1 Scavenger Drake
- 1 Shadowfeed
- 1 Shore Snapper
- 1 Bloodthorn Taunter
- 1 Exuberant Firestoker
- 1 Goblin Mountaineer
- 1 Incurable Ogre
- 1 Viashino Skeleton
- 1 Volcanic Submersion
- 1 Lush Growth
- 1 Resounding Roar
- 1 Soul's Might
- 1 Topan Ascetic
- 1 Carrion Thrash
- 1 Fire-Field Ogre
- 1 Kederekt Creeper
- 1 Kiss of the Amesha
- 1 Qasali Ambusher
- 1 Rakeclaw Gargantuan
- 1 Sigil Blessing
- 1 Waveskimmer Aven
- 1 Obelisk of Bant
The pool had decent removal, but no big game-winning bombs. I immediately went for red with the 2 Iguanars, and later was deciding between Naya or Jund. Eventually I just went four colors, Jund splashing white for removal. The deck was pretty decent and I figured I could hit 5-2 or even better if I got lucky. I kept wondering all day whether Manaplasm was any good and later someone pointed out I should have maindecked Topan Ascetic – I keep underestimating that guy – so I tried out swapping him for the Ooze, but couldn’t get definite results to tell me the ‘plasm really sucked.
Round 1
game one comes down to a race between a 10/10 Rockslide Elemental and my own 13/13 Kresh the Bloodbraided. I had more chumpers, so I managed to win while still at six life. I won game two when he had a piss-poor draw.
1-0 matches, 2-0 games
Round 2
game one my opponent had a Battlegrace Angel threatening to run away with the game, luckily I drew Resounding Silence off the top to save me. Game two he has the Battlegrace Angel again and I don’t draw anything to stop it.
I’m wondering whether this was the pool I registered, since the Angels kept coming out. Game three he had the Angel again, but I had removal. We went into topdeck mode, he was obviously hoping for the second angel, but I manage to finish him off before it comes out.
After the game he confirms that it was in fact my pool. Lucky guy! At least I managed to eke out a win.
2-0 matches, 4-1 games
Round 3
In the first game, he showed me 2 Courier’s Capsule, 2 Executioner’s Capsule, then finished me off with Cruel Ultimatum. It’s my first time to be on the receiving end… that hurts! In the second game, he takes me out with Vein Drinker and Hell’s Thunder. I look over his pool afterwards, it was pretty sick. I don’t think I really had any chance of winning.
2-1 matches, 4-3 games
Round 4
I don’t remember the details, but I do remember I made a misplay here when I thought Skeletonize would give me the token even if it didn’t kill the target. Bad Magic player! RTFC!
2-2 matches, 4-5 games
Ah, no more top eight for me. Anyway, I decide to keep playing. If anything, I need the practice.
Round 5
Opponent’s deck had Exalted + Welkin Guide + Ooze Garden tricks to come out with big critters, but I managed to take the match in two games.
3-2 matches, 6-5 games
Round 6
I don’t remember the details, but my notes show I didn’t even deal any damage during the two games!
3-3 matches, 6-7 games
At this point, there’s no use in dropping, I go to try to win round seven and get a booster pack.
Round 7
I take game one by slowly grinding him down with Iguanar damage. I lose game two (I forget how). In game three my 16-land count catches up with me and I finally got manascrewed. I mulliganned a five-lander with no action (big mistake apparently) into a six-card, one land hand into a five-card, two-land hand that didn’t give me the third land.
Final standing: 3-4 matches, 7-9 games.
Well, at this point I can safely say I should have dropped after round four. I could have spent that time playing Fallout 3! Hopefully I can do better on the next PTQ.
On a side note, it seems I’m getting more blog readers, as more people are mentioning it at tournaments. To my faithful readers: feel free to post comments and tell me how I can improve my game! It would be much obliged!
See Also
I kept wondering all day whether Manaplasm was any good and later someone pointed out I should have maindecked Topan Ascetic - I keep underestimating that guy - so I tried out swapping him for the Ooze, but couldn’t get definite results to tell me the ‘plasm really sucked.
you play both :)
I think you should cut white. You already have a lot of removal so you don't really need to play Oblivion Ring since it just makes you have to play a fourth basic land type. Plus you left out some really good on-color stuff for those white removal spells, like Topan Ascetic, and less so but still solid 2nd Carrion Thrash and Resounding Roar. You could cut one or two of the gold 2-drops since it seems like (haven't layed out the deck myself) you're pretty spread among BRG, and you have a decent amount of removal to deal with a rush.
You can always board it in if you think you're playing a deck you absolutely can't beat without it.
And Manaplasm is really freaking good, he starts every time you are in Green.
I always get so greedy with removal. If I had a Bone Splinters or an Executioner's Capsule, I probably would have cut white from the get-go. I always worry about having an out to big fat dragon-class creatures (which red burn can't handle), so I always try to fit in Oblivion Ring.
Manaplasm was awesome for me exactly once when I played it on turn three with a four drop and five drop in hand. But it was also really bad for me exactly once when I drew it off the top in a losing situation.