ahhh detroit
Warning...this may or may not be real friggen long...
Brain Siu and I started our trip Friday at 10am. The drive was a good 14 hrs there. We had some troble in Detroit finding the place. Also on the way I found out how much Brian Siu actually hates Canada. There was an odd smell the whole time we were driving through the country of hocky and beer. We arrived at our hotel prolly around midnightish. We checked in and went to our 46th floor room. We had quite the veiw of the motor city from our room. At this point we were both exhausted from the trip but I still needed to put my deck together and make some last minute decision that I had been agonizing about. We did some playtesting and Brian proved to me that sharpshooter was insane so 3 of them made it into my base deck. We also decided the pyromancers sucked hard cock cuz they could be killed to avoid the wog affect. So we went with the fire marshals for the mirror. After my deck was sleeved and decklist were filled out we were rdy to get some much needed sleep.
Day one...
Happy birthday to me. I was hoping it would be a good one but was not too optimistic seeing that I had no byes while brian had 2. We woke up at 8am gor ready and headed for bfast at the marriot resturaunt. They had a fantastic breakfast buffet that made me quite happy. After bfast we went to the site for the players meeting. Parings went up and Brain went back to the room and I started round one.
Round One...James Playing slide
This guy did not seem like an amazing player but what can you expect, im playing people with no byes...in fact...by that logic im not an amazing player. I won the dice roll and we were off. I had a great start that included a turn 3 warchief and a seige and that was that because he had no vengance.
-3 incenreators -4 shock +4 stabilizer +1 goblin good +2 roix
Game 2 he did have a vengance along with a turn 2 silver knight so things were not looking great. However a sharpshooter and a siege forced through enough damage to put me into the 1-0 bracket...
Round 2 Some dork playing u/r control
I remember the first few turns of me going prospecter, warchier, goon...then making fun of his deck. Who plays u/r? It was sporting such winners like choking tethers, chain of vapor, and ANNEX!?!?! I asked him if annex was good and he said it was...So i asked if lay waste would be better in his deck because it cycles and he has rifts in his deck. He really didnt want to talk cuz I had just smashed him game one.
I didnt really know how to sideboard this match so i went with...
-3 incinerators +2 roix +1 goon
Seemed resonable to me. Well game two his deck showed a bit more consistancy when he sliced, shocked, and starstormed my team away until he played roix and bashed me till i died.
Game 3 I got my roix out and he could not deal with it at all. He played his roix for defense but i pointed to the legend type and he scooped up his cards...
2-0
Round 3 vs David Rood playing goblins
Wow someone i recognize and it was only round 3. At this point Brain siu was ready to start his day. We did some small talk before the round and this is where my lieing started...I asked him if he had any byes and he said yes he had 2...he returned the question and...i responed with yes...i also had 2 byes. We shuffled up and started the game. He won the roll and started off. I dont mind drawing first when in the mirror. I think it is only marginally worse then playing first. And often it can be much better. He started with a good hand including an early warchief that got incenerated. I basically played defense for a while then i started coming out. Seige and he killed it..so i played my 2nd...he killed that one but being the scrub that I am I had a third. At this point he picked up my graveyard and i verified that it was my third one...that was too much for him and we were on to game 2.
-4 goblin goon +3 firemarshals +1 incinerator
Game 2 we started off bouncing creatures and then it turned into a race between my seige and his roix. A warchief and a sharpshooter helped me out race his roix. At this point he started saying how much he hated constructed and how he was much better at limited.
3-0
A good start I must say.
Round 4 brad watson playing mwc
This match was quite irritating for me. He was playing the version of mwc that had dragon scales base deck...they are quite good vs me. Game one he got a turn 2 and 3 silver knight then enchanted one with dragon scales. I tried to race with a siege but had no real chance.
-4 shock -3 incenerators +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 was just silly. He did pretty much the same thing as game one and i was ok with that cuz i thought i could actually race him because i got a roix out. Unfourtunalty a double wing shards took care of him (i attacked with 2 dorks just incase he had a shards) and that was pretty much the end of the match. There was a rules debat about his decree of justice because he drew a card then made tokens and I was feeling like a dick so i pointed out that you have to make the tokens first. the judge gave him a warning but he still got his tokens...o well. I dont think it matteed at all.
3-1 at this point brain is quite pissed because he is 2-2 with 2 byes.
Round 5 Peter szigeti playing 3 color form
Well I didnt see this coming. PTR came to the table wearing his jaket and had his sleevless deck. He asked me if i knew what he was playing and I said nope. And returned the question. He also didnt know. We did some more small talk where i lied about having 3 byes and a top finish in GP boston this year. When he presented his deck I started pile shuffeling his deck. He asked me why i was pile shuffling his deck and i responded with I can riffle shuffle I will dmg your cards and drop them everywhere. He seemd content with that awnser and we were off. Game one I got the be the scrub that I am. I won the roll and started with my prospecter. Turn 2 i had my warchief and smashed for 2. Turn 3 i played 3 piledrivers...he looked at me and asked if he was dead. I was like...i think you are...and he shuffled up his cards for game 2. I did figure out what he was playing because I had been watching someone else playing the deck.
-3 incinerators +2 roix +1 goon
Game 2 was much better for him when i walked into a 4 for 1 starstorm...from there he got out a silklash spider (yuck) and a form of the dragon. I was dead shortly thereafter.
Game 3 I started out not that great. but I was happy cuz i had a roix in my hand and 5 land out. He played a form of the dragon and I had nothing out. If i could top deck a land i could play roix while he was tapped out and kill him that turn. My draw was a prospector so i played that and passed the turn. Down to 15. he quickly passed his turn. I had 2 shocks in hand so i was hoping he would sac his fetchland but i guess he is better then that. My next draw was a sparksmith...i played it...at this point i could have played my roix but i didnt not want to be vunrable to a complicate and i was comfortable that i could play around it b4 i died. He again quickly passed the turn and i was at 10. I drew a goblin goon and played it and again passed the turn. he said go and i was at 5. I finally drew the land i needed and it was now or never. but it was so perfect. I played roix and he made a nasty face...i could tell he had the complicate and he did...he cycled it in hopes of drawing another one because i could not pay that but it was not to be. And roix took it home.
4-1 brian siu dropped out after going 0-3 for his day...with 2 byes.
Round 6 vs some guy with mwc.
Game one he didnt have any silver knights and they are much needed to beat goblins. So i ran him over with some goons.
-4 shock -3 incinerators +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 he gets his silver knights out but i do the seige plan and start to overwhelm him. so he vengances when he is at 6 life. I follow up with another seige. He vengances again. But this turn i drew my 6th land and I had roix finish my dirty work.
5-1
Round 7 well this was it. I needed to win this match to be able to draw into day 2. I was hoping for a good matchup...but it was not to be. I played vs mwc again.
Game one he got a turn one and a turn 2 silver knight out and i am thinking that my weekend might be over soon. But i still had some action. I got 2 seige gang commanders out along with my other dorks. And i start to overwhelm him. Some quick math and i relize that he needs to vengange or die but he did not have the vengance so i am now one win away from being able to draw into day 2.
-4 shock -3 incenerator +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 goes much better for him he gets his knights again and he also has dragon scales. Unfourtunatly for me there is no coming back and he kills me fast with the knights and and exhaulted angel.
game 3. Well im happy because i am on the play and i bust out of the gates slower then i had hoped. He AGAIN had turn 2 and turn 3 knights...thank god he didnt have his dragon scales this time. I get a warcheif out and start building up an army. seige comes out along with 2 sharpshooters! He is at 18 life however. and he playes a face up angel. this makes me happy because i have a threaten. This turn I had to think for a long time. Brian siu was watching but left after i was sitting there for about 5 min just thinking. I keep telling him i think he is dead but i need to do the math. He tries to talk so i would screw it up but whatever...we had tons of time so i took my sweet time. Threaten your angel...i know im doing that...I attacked with everything but a seige and a prospector. He blocked 2 dorks with his knights. i stack first strike dmg. and sack the 2 blocked dorks to my prospector for 2 red while pinging him with my sharpshooters. i stack regular combat dmg. and then use the 2 red to sac a dork to seige to deal him 2 then 2 more from the sharpshooters...i then leave the attack step and play a sparksmith because it is an extra creature to untap the sharpshooters. I sack some guys to seige to shock and sharpshooter him and when the dust settles i delt exactly 18 points of dmg that turn...intense...I told brian that i won the match and he said i looked so confused while i was playing. He asked me how i won and i was like...i killed him that turn...he was like what?!?!he had no idea i was even close he though i killed him the turn after. I guess that is why i was thinking so much...
6-1
well Im quite pleased at this point because i can draw into day 2...so now it was just a formality of getting paird and doing the draw thing. when i get my seat number i check to see who i am playing against...he only has 17 points!!!!!! I got paired down!!!!I have to play...Lousy....total crap. I wasnt too happy. I sit down and my opponent comes over we do some small talk and I tell him that i had 3 byes from pro tour points. I also tell him i have a few top 16 and top 32 pro tour finishes under my belt. He was my first opponent that actually seemed intimidated with my lies. I then offer him a draw. He was like...well im not sure if i can make it in. So i ask what place he is in. He said 54th. I was like see...you are in the top 64 right now...he sits there for a while. And i tell him that a loss will definatly knock him out of the top 64. So he agrees to draw!!! I gladly write ID on the slip and sign it and pass it over to him...he signs it and we are off to turn in the slip the judge takes it and i quickly leave the playing area knowing that my opponent has no chance of making day 2. It turns out that he did have an ok shot but he finished 88th i think. I finished in 45th place and im in day 2. A good birthday indeed.
Brian and I eat again at the resturaunt. it was ok. Then we order the internet in our room for 12$ so we could see all the decklists and whatnot. it was well worth the 12$ for the coverage. I rest up for day 2...Day 2 will be coming at a later date.
over and out...
Brain Siu and I started our trip Friday at 10am. The drive was a good 14 hrs there. We had some troble in Detroit finding the place. Also on the way I found out how much Brian Siu actually hates Canada. There was an odd smell the whole time we were driving through the country of hocky and beer. We arrived at our hotel prolly around midnightish. We checked in and went to our 46th floor room. We had quite the veiw of the motor city from our room. At this point we were both exhausted from the trip but I still needed to put my deck together and make some last minute decision that I had been agonizing about. We did some playtesting and Brian proved to me that sharpshooter was insane so 3 of them made it into my base deck. We also decided the pyromancers sucked hard cock cuz they could be killed to avoid the wog affect. So we went with the fire marshals for the mirror. After my deck was sleeved and decklist were filled out we were rdy to get some much needed sleep.
Day one...
Happy birthday to me. I was hoping it would be a good one but was not too optimistic seeing that I had no byes while brian had 2. We woke up at 8am gor ready and headed for bfast at the marriot resturaunt. They had a fantastic breakfast buffet that made me quite happy. After bfast we went to the site for the players meeting. Parings went up and Brain went back to the room and I started round one.
Round One...James Playing slide
This guy did not seem like an amazing player but what can you expect, im playing people with no byes...in fact...by that logic im not an amazing player. I won the dice roll and we were off. I had a great start that included a turn 3 warchief and a seige and that was that because he had no vengance.
-3 incenreators -4 shock +4 stabilizer +1 goblin good +2 roix
Game 2 he did have a vengance along with a turn 2 silver knight so things were not looking great. However a sharpshooter and a siege forced through enough damage to put me into the 1-0 bracket...
Round 2 Some dork playing u/r control
I remember the first few turns of me going prospecter, warchier, goon...then making fun of his deck. Who plays u/r? It was sporting such winners like choking tethers, chain of vapor, and ANNEX!?!?! I asked him if annex was good and he said it was...So i asked if lay waste would be better in his deck because it cycles and he has rifts in his deck. He really didnt want to talk cuz I had just smashed him game one.
I didnt really know how to sideboard this match so i went with...
-3 incinerators +2 roix +1 goon
Seemed resonable to me. Well game two his deck showed a bit more consistancy when he sliced, shocked, and starstormed my team away until he played roix and bashed me till i died.
Game 3 I got my roix out and he could not deal with it at all. He played his roix for defense but i pointed to the legend type and he scooped up his cards...
2-0
Round 3 vs David Rood playing goblins
Wow someone i recognize and it was only round 3. At this point Brain siu was ready to start his day. We did some small talk before the round and this is where my lieing started...I asked him if he had any byes and he said yes he had 2...he returned the question and...i responed with yes...i also had 2 byes. We shuffled up and started the game. He won the roll and started off. I dont mind drawing first when in the mirror. I think it is only marginally worse then playing first. And often it can be much better. He started with a good hand including an early warchief that got incenerated. I basically played defense for a while then i started coming out. Seige and he killed it..so i played my 2nd...he killed that one but being the scrub that I am I had a third. At this point he picked up my graveyard and i verified that it was my third one...that was too much for him and we were on to game 2.
-4 goblin goon +3 firemarshals +1 incinerator
Game 2 we started off bouncing creatures and then it turned into a race between my seige and his roix. A warchief and a sharpshooter helped me out race his roix. At this point he started saying how much he hated constructed and how he was much better at limited.
3-0
A good start I must say.
Round 4 brad watson playing mwc
This match was quite irritating for me. He was playing the version of mwc that had dragon scales base deck...they are quite good vs me. Game one he got a turn 2 and 3 silver knight then enchanted one with dragon scales. I tried to race with a siege but had no real chance.
-4 shock -3 incenerators +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 was just silly. He did pretty much the same thing as game one and i was ok with that cuz i thought i could actually race him because i got a roix out. Unfourtunalty a double wing shards took care of him (i attacked with 2 dorks just incase he had a shards) and that was pretty much the end of the match. There was a rules debat about his decree of justice because he drew a card then made tokens and I was feeling like a dick so i pointed out that you have to make the tokens first. the judge gave him a warning but he still got his tokens...o well. I dont think it matteed at all.
3-1 at this point brain is quite pissed because he is 2-2 with 2 byes.
Round 5 Peter szigeti playing 3 color form
Well I didnt see this coming. PTR came to the table wearing his jaket and had his sleevless deck. He asked me if i knew what he was playing and I said nope. And returned the question. He also didnt know. We did some more small talk where i lied about having 3 byes and a top finish in GP boston this year. When he presented his deck I started pile shuffeling his deck. He asked me why i was pile shuffling his deck and i responded with I can riffle shuffle I will dmg your cards and drop them everywhere. He seemd content with that awnser and we were off. Game one I got the be the scrub that I am. I won the roll and started with my prospecter. Turn 2 i had my warchief and smashed for 2. Turn 3 i played 3 piledrivers...he looked at me and asked if he was dead. I was like...i think you are...and he shuffled up his cards for game 2. I did figure out what he was playing because I had been watching someone else playing the deck.
-3 incinerators +2 roix +1 goon
Game 2 was much better for him when i walked into a 4 for 1 starstorm...from there he got out a silklash spider (yuck) and a form of the dragon. I was dead shortly thereafter.
Game 3 I started out not that great. but I was happy cuz i had a roix in my hand and 5 land out. He played a form of the dragon and I had nothing out. If i could top deck a land i could play roix while he was tapped out and kill him that turn. My draw was a prospector so i played that and passed the turn. Down to 15. he quickly passed his turn. I had 2 shocks in hand so i was hoping he would sac his fetchland but i guess he is better then that. My next draw was a sparksmith...i played it...at this point i could have played my roix but i didnt not want to be vunrable to a complicate and i was comfortable that i could play around it b4 i died. He again quickly passed the turn and i was at 10. I drew a goblin goon and played it and again passed the turn. he said go and i was at 5. I finally drew the land i needed and it was now or never. but it was so perfect. I played roix and he made a nasty face...i could tell he had the complicate and he did...he cycled it in hopes of drawing another one because i could not pay that but it was not to be. And roix took it home.
4-1 brian siu dropped out after going 0-3 for his day...with 2 byes.
Round 6 vs some guy with mwc.
Game one he didnt have any silver knights and they are much needed to beat goblins. So i ran him over with some goons.
-4 shock -3 incinerators +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 he gets his silver knights out but i do the seige plan and start to overwhelm him. so he vengances when he is at 6 life. I follow up with another seige. He vengances again. But this turn i drew my 6th land and I had roix finish my dirty work.
5-1
Round 7 well this was it. I needed to win this match to be able to draw into day 2. I was hoping for a good matchup...but it was not to be. I played vs mwc again.
Game one he got a turn one and a turn 2 silver knight out and i am thinking that my weekend might be over soon. But i still had some action. I got 2 seige gang commanders out along with my other dorks. And i start to overwhelm him. Some quick math and i relize that he needs to vengange or die but he did not have the vengance so i am now one win away from being able to draw into day 2.
-4 shock -3 incenerator +4 threaten +1 goon +2 roix
Game 2 goes much better for him he gets his knights again and he also has dragon scales. Unfourtunatly for me there is no coming back and he kills me fast with the knights and and exhaulted angel.
game 3. Well im happy because i am on the play and i bust out of the gates slower then i had hoped. He AGAIN had turn 2 and turn 3 knights...thank god he didnt have his dragon scales this time. I get a warcheif out and start building up an army. seige comes out along with 2 sharpshooters! He is at 18 life however. and he playes a face up angel. this makes me happy because i have a threaten. This turn I had to think for a long time. Brian siu was watching but left after i was sitting there for about 5 min just thinking. I keep telling him i think he is dead but i need to do the math. He tries to talk so i would screw it up but whatever...we had tons of time so i took my sweet time. Threaten your angel...i know im doing that...I attacked with everything but a seige and a prospector. He blocked 2 dorks with his knights. i stack first strike dmg. and sack the 2 blocked dorks to my prospector for 2 red while pinging him with my sharpshooters. i stack regular combat dmg. and then use the 2 red to sac a dork to seige to deal him 2 then 2 more from the sharpshooters...i then leave the attack step and play a sparksmith because it is an extra creature to untap the sharpshooters. I sack some guys to seige to shock and sharpshooter him and when the dust settles i delt exactly 18 points of dmg that turn...intense...I told brian that i won the match and he said i looked so confused while i was playing. He asked me how i won and i was like...i killed him that turn...he was like what?!?!he had no idea i was even close he though i killed him the turn after. I guess that is why i was thinking so much...
6-1
well Im quite pleased at this point because i can draw into day 2...so now it was just a formality of getting paird and doing the draw thing. when i get my seat number i check to see who i am playing against...he only has 17 points!!!!!! I got paired down!!!!I have to play...Lousy....total crap. I wasnt too happy. I sit down and my opponent comes over we do some small talk and I tell him that i had 3 byes from pro tour points. I also tell him i have a few top 16 and top 32 pro tour finishes under my belt. He was my first opponent that actually seemed intimidated with my lies. I then offer him a draw. He was like...well im not sure if i can make it in. So i ask what place he is in. He said 54th. I was like see...you are in the top 64 right now...he sits there for a while. And i tell him that a loss will definatly knock him out of the top 64. So he agrees to draw!!! I gladly write ID on the slip and sign it and pass it over to him...he signs it and we are off to turn in the slip the judge takes it and i quickly leave the playing area knowing that my opponent has no chance of making day 2. It turns out that he did have an ok shot but he finished 88th i think. I finished in 45th place and im in day 2. A good birthday indeed.
Brian and I eat again at the resturaunt. it was ok. Then we order the internet in our room for 12$ so we could see all the decklists and whatnot. it was well worth the 12$ for the coverage. I rest up for day 2...Day 2 will be coming at a later date.
over and out...