Miami GPT tournament report

TL;DR I got really lucky all day, and round Three was AWESOME (for me).

Round 1 vs David, R/W agro

All three games were decided the same way:  the person who got manascrewed lost.  There was a decent amount of gameplay before we respectively flooded out horribly, but really, all games came down to horiffic flood/color/manascrew.  Game three was particularly amusing, when my Sarkhan killed him - he revealed a hand of 4 chain to the rocks!

W – 1-0

Round 2 vs Nathan, Red Deck Wins

I knew Nathan was on mono-red, so I happily kept 2x wild slash, lightning strike, 2 lands and 2 creatures on the draw for game one.  He opened with the triple 1-drop opening, to my single red source.  And then I was dead.

Game two was similar.  My creatures died, and then I did, extremely fast.  I think I exposed a Soulfire Grand Master to removal too early – I should have used a burn spell on a creature instead of casting it so quickly.

L – 1-1

Round 3 vs Joey, G/r monsters

This was the best match of the day, by FAR.

Game 1 :  I missed my third land drop for two turns.  By the time I started trying to come back, it was too late, and green monsters ate my face.

Game 2: I had the awesome tempo draw, killing mana dorks while landing Rabblemaster #1.  Then a second Rabblemaster, whose tokens convoked a Stoke the Flames to kill a courser and attack him down to 17.  He played an Arbor colossus, which I Valorous Stance’d.  And then I attacked for 18 with two rabblemasters + friends that same turn.  WOO-HOO!

Game 3:  This was THE game of the day.  I am not getting much damage through, and stumbling a bit with awkward tapped-land draws.  Polukranos and Elvish Mystic smack me around for a lot damage.  I Charm the hydra to the top to buy a little breathing room, and he lands an Arbor Colossus.  I untap and draw my fifth land.  I have four cards in graveyard, and my hand contains Dig through Time + Lightning Strike.  I have no creatures in play, versus 2 caryatids, Arbor Colossus, and Polukranos waiting on the top of his deck. 

I pass the turn, leaving up 5 mana.

He attacks me for 6 with the colossus.  Notably, he does not attack with an Elvish Mystic, and is representing 6 mana.  So, midcombat, I strike down the Elf.  He floats mana with it, but decides not to monstrous.  He casts Polukranos in his second mainphase.

I cross my fingers and cast Dig Through Time.

Jackpot.  I hit exactly what I wanted!

I hit Elspeth + untapped land off the Dig.  She wipes away his two monsters.  He casts two manadorks and begrudgingly passes the turn.  I make tokens, and add a rabblemaster to my board.  My hand is Stoke the Flames, and I play a scryland, seeing Soulfire Grand Master on top!  Perfect!  I pass the turn, with Joey at a healthy 16 life.

He tanks, and then taps completely out to cast Ugin, the Spirit Dragon!

He tanks again, while I myself am thinking about different scenarios of how he could play it.  My board is Elspeth at 2 loyalty, 3 soldier tokens, and Rabblemaster.  My hand is a lone Stoke, and my top card is SFG.  He has two caryatids, an elvish mystic, and a voyaging satyr.  I am at 5, he is at 16 life.

His options:

1.     + Ugin kill Rabblemaster

2.     + Ugin kill Elspeth

3.     + Ugin to drop me to 2 life – I am currently representing only 6 power, which would make Ugin lethal if I couldn’t deal with it.  This was what I would have feared most, if I didn’t already know I had stoke with SFG on top.

4.     -6 Ugin to wipe the board, leaving him with Ugin in play.  This was what I actually feared most, as I wouldn’t have enough creatures/lands to cast SFG, convoke, and buyback Stoke the Flames.

I realized none of these options leave me in too bad of a spot, so I awaited his decision.

Joey elects for option number 2, to kill off Elspeth.

Recipe Unlocked: Soulfire Grand Master Activation + Stoke the Flames, season with Goblin Rabblemaster to taste, allow to simmer over three turns.

W – 2-1

Round 4 vs Dave, Temur Aggro

Both games we traded blows in the early game, and then he started running out of gas while I drew more threats and answers.  Not much to say.  Sorry Dave!

W – 3-1

Round 5 vs Donny, Deck unknown

Intentional Draw into Top 8. Good tiebreakers gave me high seeding, giving me the play for all my matches.  This is very good for Jeskai Tempo!

Sandwich time!  Om nom nom.

ID – 3-1-1

Top 8:

Quarterfinals vs James, Jeskai Aggro

Neither game was particularly close.  Game 1 I rode a rabblemaster to victory while he was stuck on 2 lands discarding to hand size, and game 2 I had 12 points of burn when he was at 12 life.   Whaddya gonna do?

Semifinals vs Eric, G/r Devotion

Eric was kind enough to give me a ride down to the tournament.  Even kinder, he wasn’t actually going to be able to make the GP!  He scooped to me!  Finals, baby!

Finals vs Donny, Jeskai Tokens

Game 1 I was pretty much in the drivers seat.  I landed a Rabblemaster, killed a Mentor, protected my guy with a Jeskai Charm +1/+1, and used it to drive through for lethal.

Game 2 was very nail bitingly close (from my perspective, anyway)

We are trading some blows, getting in a few hits and landing a few creatures.  I spend a few turns drawing lands and burn spells, while he attacks with 3 1/1 tokens and does nothing else.  I drop to 8 from the token attacks, while he is at 16.  I have 7 mana in his end step, with Jeskai Charm and 2x Lightning Strike.  I decide to bolt him down to six and hope to draw more pressure, or anger of the gods.  I topdeck… Glare of Heresy.  I eat a soldier token with it (to much laughter from the peanut gallery).  I drop to 6.  I topdeck… Glare of Heresy!  I eat another soldier.  He Stoke’s me, then attacks for me to 1 with the remaining goblin token. 

I topdeck running creatures, and he continues drawing exactly token makers that can’t push through the 1 point of damage.  He is forced to chump block with tokens until he runs out of answers and dies, with 4 lands and a negate in hand.

I win!  2 Byes for Miami!  :D