EPTStore was kinda dead tonight---think it was under 16 people. Either way more MTG, more practice, more fun.
Sunday Prerelease
Here's the pool:
Rares:
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Regal Caracal
Sheltered Thicket (foil)
Irrigated Farmland
Swarm Intelligence
Ramunap Excavator
Grind//Dust
The Scarab God
Hour of Glory (promo)
Sheltered Thicket (foil)
Irrigated Farmland
Swarm Intelligence
Ramunap Excavator
Grind//Dust
The Scarab God
Hour of Glory (promo)
For some reason tappedout.net STILL hasn't added all the cards from HOU yet so you might have to look some up if you're interested rather than mouse over for images.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/5-color-fun-not-really-5/
Alright so---this pool was HARD. Bomb quality was way better as was overall card quality. I knew I didn't want to be in red or blue, but green white and black all had a lot of things going for them, plus free splashes from cycling lands, PLUS have to splash blue for Scarab God! Black white zombies was an option because this way I get to play Regal Caracal and have a bunch of zombie synergy with the multicolor zombie and Unconventional tactics and the Scarab God has Zombie synergy built in! Could play GW aggro here and I have a whole bunch of cats in those colors for Regal Caracal...? BG good stuff? What do? Go 5 color of course!!
My initial build didn't look anything like the one I linked above. It originally had the 3 mana ramp spell, a Greater Sandwurm, and Inferno Jet in it instead of the 3/1 flier, Gift of Strength, and...something else I forget. The logic behind including Inferno Jet was supposed to be it was a free splash from the G/R cycle land and might help me finish a game or two, and I could even cycle it if it's dead in hand. Ultimately the mana base was giving me headaches because between Evolving Wilds and the ramp spell I felt I should include at least one basic of each color, but there was no room for that plus all of the taplands I was including---ultimately before I started Match 1 I took out the Inferno Jet and instead went GBuw, with my only white requirements being the back half of Grind//Dust and plenty of sources for it without including a basic. The deck would be a little slow with the ramp spell included but i had solid payoff and good removal to back me up while not doing nothing for the first little while. Also a whole bunch of uncommon Deserts for extra spell effects!
Match 1 vs UB aggro
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This guy plays Slither Blade turn one Game 1, and Tah-Crop Skirmisher turn 2 while I have done mostly nothing. Uh oh. He smacks at me for a while while I'm force to block not-so-profitably with the 2 drops I can scrounge up. When I manage to play something bigger, he drops Doomfalls on me to exile them, including my unfortunate Scarab God. Eventually I managed to stabilize with a Croc and Wander in Death-ing back a Sandwurm after ramping to it (kinda risky since I was at like 4-5 life at the time), whereupon I swung for 16 with Synchronized Strike and won. For whatever reason I didn't change much of the deck for Game 2 and I made a vital misplay that cost me the game. Early game I used Grind to remove a 2/1 camel and 1/1 Eternalize dude to smack him and hopefully win the race he wanted to have by getting in with bigger creatures. I forgot that his leaving up 4 mana meant he flashes in the rare 3/1 flier (which I had seen the game before, not the 2/3), and the turn after that he plays a 2/1 bat with haste whcih e proceeds to beat me over the head with for 5 each turn until I die. THEN I got smart and sided stuff out for Game 3. Out came the ramp and a sandwurm, in game Gift of Strength for fliers and a low drop (Miasmic Mummy). Blocked his early game with my low drops, got both Crocs out despite them being bounced a couple times and tapped down and flew over with Cartouche for the win.
Record 1-0
Record 1-0
Match 2 vs Sultai BOMBS
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I'll just say it right now---this guy had the BEST sealed deck I have EVER SEEN thus far in my history of playing Magic. HANDS DOWN. I can't emphasize this enough. A few people around the store were laughing when he mentioned 'shenanigans' and boy was I about to find out. Game 1 we each played creatures and did things, I removed more of his stuff than he did mine and we were fairly even on life and stalled. Killed the 6/7 Hexproof croc by double blocking with combat tricks in hand, things are going well. Then he drops an Invocation Lord of Extinction. This thing gets power and toughness equal to all cards in all graveyards, and both of us were in midrange removal and cycling decks. Luckily I happened to have Hour of Glory in hand to knock that 16/16 thing out immediately. I also had the fun combo of Ramunap Excavator playing Evolving Wilds from my graveyard every turn to get rid of all the lands in my deck. Eventually I outgrinded him and won. I thought to myself, "Ok, yeah he's got an Invocation which is pretty bullshit, but not impossible to deal with, especially for my deck." Then began the bullshit that was Game 2.
Turn 4 Nissa with two low drops on previous turns to protect her. Ok, I thought, guy has a bit of a bonkers pool. Luckily I had Cartouche of Knowledge in hand to fly over and smack her into submission over a couple turns. I'm not doing amazingly on life since I could leave back a blocker for a bit but I was slowly stabilizing. Next, The Scarab God. UGH. Seriously? I had saved up Hour of Glory in my hand waiting for the Lord of Extinction, but nope, guess I gotta use it now. Ok, two bombs down, I'm in good shape with blockers on board and beating him for 3 in the air each turn. THEN LORD OF EXTINCTION COMES DOWN TOO. And I have no removal left, all I can do is chump over multiple turns and lose. I made a couple misplays this game. At one point I killed a Camel of his and was forced to discard something---I discarded Ramunap Excavator. I drew so many lands later on in the game allowing him to draw into bombs that I think discarding one of the other cards I had in hand might of been right I think my options were Ramunap, Hour of Glory and maybe Synchronized strike or something like that? The creature was probably the best option at the time since it would also block some of his 2/2 Khenras. The second misplay didn't cost me the game but it's more a learning experience that I'm not likely to forget. I had two creatures left on board, he had his Invocation out and 3 other creatures. (Oh I should also mention he had the 2/2 Eternalize Khenra that buffs a dude when it enters the battelfield as an on-color rare too, that caused me some minor headaches and bad blocks). After buffing a 2/2 into a 4/4 and forcing a block that would have otherwise killed one of his dudes I had my two guys and was hoping to draw into an answer to deal with his board since I was dead on his next turn. I drew a cycling land and immediately scooped. I was a little on tilt there, I will freely admit, since obviously the right play would have been to cycle the land, whereupon waiting for me on top of the deck was Grind//Dust. I could have exiled his Invocation and another dude. He had enough creatures at the time that I was still dead on board regardless, but I have to remember it's important to exhaust literally every option before surrendering---the tilt is not worth it nor a good mindset to be in going forward. Game 3 He drew all his bombs again more or less immediately and I was just crushed. We had garnered a huge crowd by that point because most of the small crowd there today I knew and they're all sort of friends---it was kinda fun complaining out loud and making people laugh at the futility of all of it and the ridiculousness of his pool. It was kind of an absurdist moment and overall despite losing it was certainly more enjoyable than not. Sometimes those losses are just gonna happen.
Record 1-1
Turn 4 Nissa with two low drops on previous turns to protect her. Ok, I thought, guy has a bit of a bonkers pool. Luckily I had Cartouche of Knowledge in hand to fly over and smack her into submission over a couple turns. I'm not doing amazingly on life since I could leave back a blocker for a bit but I was slowly stabilizing. Next, The Scarab God. UGH. Seriously? I had saved up Hour of Glory in my hand waiting for the Lord of Extinction, but nope, guess I gotta use it now. Ok, two bombs down, I'm in good shape with blockers on board and beating him for 3 in the air each turn. THEN LORD OF EXTINCTION COMES DOWN TOO. And I have no removal left, all I can do is chump over multiple turns and lose. I made a couple misplays this game. At one point I killed a Camel of his and was forced to discard something---I discarded Ramunap Excavator. I drew so many lands later on in the game allowing him to draw into bombs that I think discarding one of the other cards I had in hand might of been right I think my options were Ramunap, Hour of Glory and maybe Synchronized strike or something like that? The creature was probably the best option at the time since it would also block some of his 2/2 Khenras. The second misplay didn't cost me the game but it's more a learning experience that I'm not likely to forget. I had two creatures left on board, he had his Invocation out and 3 other creatures. (Oh I should also mention he had the 2/2 Eternalize Khenra that buffs a dude when it enters the battelfield as an on-color rare too, that caused me some minor headaches and bad blocks). After buffing a 2/2 into a 4/4 and forcing a block that would have otherwise killed one of his dudes I had my two guys and was hoping to draw into an answer to deal with his board since I was dead on his next turn. I drew a cycling land and immediately scooped. I was a little on tilt there, I will freely admit, since obviously the right play would have been to cycle the land, whereupon waiting for me on top of the deck was Grind//Dust. I could have exiled his Invocation and another dude. He had enough creatures at the time that I was still dead on board regardless, but I have to remember it's important to exhaust literally every option before surrendering---the tilt is not worth it nor a good mindset to be in going forward. Game 3 He drew all his bombs again more or less immediately and I was just crushed. We had garnered a huge crowd by that point because most of the small crowd there today I knew and they're all sort of friends---it was kinda fun complaining out loud and making people laugh at the futility of all of it and the ridiculousness of his pool. It was kind of an absurdist moment and overall despite losing it was certainly more enjoyable than not. Sometimes those losses are just gonna happen.
Record 1-1
Match 3 vs Esper Embalm
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Played against tjhe guy from previous who usually plays pretty slowly and it was getting late (we had to wait on his tied-at-15-life-on-turn-3-of-final-Turns-with 8-creatures-on-the-board-but-each-player-takes-10-minutes-because-they-think-they-can-win game). He offered to split despite being paired down, but since top prize was 8 packs and a loss for me would mean only 1 pity pack, a split would literally offer no profit for him at all so I told him so. Yes the extra pack gets added to the prize pool, so he could get 5 instead of 4 but it just doesn't make sense for him to split here since he has basically nothing to lose. I try to be a nice guy when I can. Anyway Game 1
He plays fliers. Like, ALL fliers. Luckily enough I draw into my removal where necessary and start playing larger creatures than he can deal with and go on to win. Game 2 he kept a very difficult hand (two white mana, a Fan Bearer and a bunch of three drops and Oketra) and never drew lands. I had Scarab God in hand and never played it because it was pointless.
Final Record: 2-1
He plays fliers. Like, ALL fliers. Luckily enough I draw into my removal where necessary and start playing larger creatures than he can deal with and go on to win. Game 2 he kept a very difficult hand (two white mana, a Fan Bearer and a bunch of three drops and Oketra) and never drew lands. I had Scarab God in hand and never played it because it was pointless.
Final Record: 2-1
Stuff I learned: I think I built the 'right' deck here again despite the options, but I have to remember to really consider sideboarding options a lot more closely. For example against the big bombs dude, it probably would have been right to side in Nissa's Defeat which I forgot I had at the time, or maybe even more so to side into BW Zombies as a more aggressive deck, hoping to flood the board with smaller creatures and win before the bombs came out. More than likely I still lose to such a ridiculous pool/deck but the percentage points gained by attempting to win quickly and hoping something goes wrong for him are not negligible. Really wish I didn't have to keep going up against Invocations though. Also worth noting the more I win at the GP the more likely I am to face pools like that one...bleh.
Prize Pack Pulls:
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Not this time! I'll be saving my prize packs to do more Sealed during the week with my friend who missed the prerelease. I'll post the pulls then I guess. Overall good pulls this time though with another God (that I STILL never really got to play with) and a foil cycle land.
As always, comments/questions are more than welcome, and in fact encouraged. Any mistakes in my building or advice is always up for discussion. If there's anything anyone reading this does not understand I'd also be more than happy to explain some of the terminology or choices I made.
