I went back to the shop to play some more type 2. I brought back my Blightning Aggro deck from the previous week and made a decent sideboard to go with it. Here's the updated Decklist:
Mogg Fanatic x4
Hellspark Elemental x4
Sygg, River Cutthroat x3
Goblin Outlander x3
Ashenmoor Gouger x3
Boggart Ram-Gang x3
Incinerate x3
Lash Out x3
Volcanic Fallout x4
Blightning x4
Flame Javelin x4
Banefire x1
Mountain x9
Swamp x4
Sulfurous Springs x4
Graven Cairns x4
SB
Banefire x1
Deathmark x3
Head Games x1
Hell's Thunder x4
Magma Spray x2
Smash to Smithereens x2
Spiteful Visions x2
Well, let's get right to it!
Round 1: Nice guy playing Red Deck Wins (Steve)
Game 1: I played against this guy before the tourney with some of my older, nostalgic decks (Suicide Black, Psychatog, etc) and were pleased when we were paired in round 1. We start out this game by jumping back and forth in life, trading burns spells at the end of each other's turns. Eventually, I end him with a successfully clashed Lashout, followed by an Incinerate.
Game 2: I side in Magma Sprays to deal with his Hellspark Elementals. Apparently, he had the same idea and proceeded to remove to of my hasty guys from the game. I don't recover from this position and he burns me out after I fallout away his Figures of Destiny
Game 3: I mulligan to six and start a decent board position with a gouger, but he draws more burns than me and manages to eek it out a turn before Gouger would wreck him.
0-1, 1-2
Not a great start, but now I'm fighting out of the bottom of the bracket, so hopefully my matches get a bit easier.....
Round 2: Drew with WUB Planeswalkers.
Game 1: I played against him during my bye round the previous week and he stomped me, but I know better now. I ignore his Liliana Vess on the board and continue to play the burn in my hand directly at his head. Eventually, my Hellspark Elementals get through for the win.
Game 2: He has a bit more action here, but it's only drawing some more cards and Wrathing the board. I sided in my Hell's Thunders in place of my Gougers as I figure his Wraths would make the Gougers too slow. I win this one easily.
1-1, 3-2
Getting better. Let's see what my next round brings me.
Round 3: Really nice guy with Nyxathid (Steve)
Game 1: I feel really bad for not remembering this guy's name. I've hung out with him before each tournament I've played at this place and he's a really nice guy, though has some really bad luck at these tourneys. I mulligan once and he Thoughtseize and dicards me out after I stick a Fanatic and burn him down to 8. Unfortunately for him, I keep drawing more burn and finish it rather quickly.
Game 2: Not much to say, other than he goes double Demigod. Ugh.
Game 3: I keep a 4 land hand and he Thoughtseizes away my Blightning. However, I stick a Sygg and continue to draw burn spell after burn spell.
2-1, 5-3
He seemed really frustrated with my topdecking skills. But I need to remind you readers that every non-land card in this deck DEALS DAMAGE. As long as I don't hit a mana pocket, the threats are going to keep coming.
Round 4: Mike with WUG Reveillark
Game 1: His match was the table next to me in the previous round, so we each got to scope out the other's deck. I saw Wrath of God, Wall of Reverence and Reveillark. I was not a happy camper. I manage to draw a good 7 and burn him out before he gets any life-gain going.
Game 2: I sideboard like a fiend here. Out go the Gougers, Ram-Gangs and Lash Outs. In come Magma Spray, Spiteful Visions, 3 Hell's Thunder and Banefire. Unfortunately, I only see 2 land for the first five turns, though I keep it competitive until he 'larks for two Mulldrifters and starts bashing. not to mention Sowering my Sygg.
Game 3: Easily the game of the night. I have to mulligan to 5 (and begin to imagine my top 4 chances slipping away from me). Fortunately, after keeping my two lands, Fanatic, Spiteful Visions and Hellspark Elemental, I draw into two lands and drop the Visions when he's tapped out. Each of us start taking damage while I have a good life advantage due to early Fanatic/Elemental beats. Plus, the Visions keeps drawing me into a steady stream of burn and 2 Goblin Outlanders. Unfortunately for me, he sticks a Wall of Reverence and a played Reveillark, though I keep beating through with my Outlanders to keep his life total honest. The next turn, he drops his second Wall and jumps back up to 10 life. I take a deep breath, draw two, attack for 4 pro-white, drop my 7th land and Banefire for 6. He has no response and is visibly frustrated at losing to burn with two Walls of Reverences on his side of the board.
3-1, 7-4
I had no business winning that game after mulling to 5, but my confidence shoots up and I've somehow 2nd in the standings at 3-1 in a 30+ person tourney. I can't figure it out, but I have one more match to play.
Round 5: Phil with Nyxathid
Game 1: Phil is 4-0 and we did some trading earlier, where he was extremely generous trading me a fair amount of newer uncommons and rares for some of my older things. We discuss the probability of IDing here, but he says we'll see later. I manage to burn him to burn him to 8 and stick double Gouger before he discards me out and drop his Nyxathid at a full 7/7. I rip a Lashout, attack into his 'thid and win the Clash to reveal a fatal Volcanic Fallout for the previous turn.
Game 2: He sided in Puppeteer Clique and continues to take my Unearth creatures after discarding me out and overwhelming me fairly easily.
Game 3: He talks about our discussion of IDing and asks if I still want to take it. After thinking it over, I accept his offer and turn in our draw. We still play this game out and it turns out I'd have had to mulligan twice and got supremely stomped.
3-1-1, 8-5-1
Final standings are up and I grabbed third place out of a field of 30+ (I think it was 39). I have no idea how 3-1-1 grabbed third, but I'll take it. I'm a bit uneasy about next week's prospect now that Alara Reborn will be legal and R/B looks like one of the decks to beat, meaning people will prepare their boards for this matchup..... I don't imagine my deck will do as well next week.
EDIT: Turns out the names of the players I forgot were both Steve.
Ransac, cpa trash man
Mogg Fanatic x4
Hellspark Elemental x4
Sygg, River Cutthroat x3
Goblin Outlander x3
Ashenmoor Gouger x3
Boggart Ram-Gang x3
Incinerate x3
Lash Out x3
Volcanic Fallout x4
Blightning x4
Flame Javelin x4
Banefire x1
Mountain x9
Swamp x4
Sulfurous Springs x4
Graven Cairns x4
SB
Banefire x1
Deathmark x3
Head Games x1
Hell's Thunder x4
Magma Spray x2
Smash to Smithereens x2
Spiteful Visions x2
Well, let's get right to it!
Round 1: Nice guy playing Red Deck Wins (Steve)
Game 1: I played against this guy before the tourney with some of my older, nostalgic decks (Suicide Black, Psychatog, etc) and were pleased when we were paired in round 1. We start out this game by jumping back and forth in life, trading burns spells at the end of each other's turns. Eventually, I end him with a successfully clashed Lashout, followed by an Incinerate.
Game 2: I side in Magma Sprays to deal with his Hellspark Elementals. Apparently, he had the same idea and proceeded to remove to of my hasty guys from the game. I don't recover from this position and he burns me out after I fallout away his Figures of Destiny
Game 3: I mulligan to six and start a decent board position with a gouger, but he draws more burns than me and manages to eek it out a turn before Gouger would wreck him.
0-1, 1-2
Not a great start, but now I'm fighting out of the bottom of the bracket, so hopefully my matches get a bit easier.....
Round 2: Drew with WUB Planeswalkers.
Game 1: I played against him during my bye round the previous week and he stomped me, but I know better now. I ignore his Liliana Vess on the board and continue to play the burn in my hand directly at his head. Eventually, my Hellspark Elementals get through for the win.
Game 2: He has a bit more action here, but it's only drawing some more cards and Wrathing the board. I sided in my Hell's Thunders in place of my Gougers as I figure his Wraths would make the Gougers too slow. I win this one easily.
1-1, 3-2
Getting better. Let's see what my next round brings me.
Round 3: Really nice guy with Nyxathid (Steve)
Game 1: I feel really bad for not remembering this guy's name. I've hung out with him before each tournament I've played at this place and he's a really nice guy, though has some really bad luck at these tourneys. I mulligan once and he Thoughtseize and dicards me out after I stick a Fanatic and burn him down to 8. Unfortunately for him, I keep drawing more burn and finish it rather quickly.
Game 2: Not much to say, other than he goes double Demigod. Ugh.
Game 3: I keep a 4 land hand and he Thoughtseizes away my Blightning. However, I stick a Sygg and continue to draw burn spell after burn spell.
2-1, 5-3
He seemed really frustrated with my topdecking skills. But I need to remind you readers that every non-land card in this deck DEALS DAMAGE. As long as I don't hit a mana pocket, the threats are going to keep coming.
Round 4: Mike with WUG Reveillark
Game 1: His match was the table next to me in the previous round, so we each got to scope out the other's deck. I saw Wrath of God, Wall of Reverence and Reveillark. I was not a happy camper. I manage to draw a good 7 and burn him out before he gets any life-gain going.
Game 2: I sideboard like a fiend here. Out go the Gougers, Ram-Gangs and Lash Outs. In come Magma Spray, Spiteful Visions, 3 Hell's Thunder and Banefire. Unfortunately, I only see 2 land for the first five turns, though I keep it competitive until he 'larks for two Mulldrifters and starts bashing. not to mention Sowering my Sygg.
Game 3: Easily the game of the night. I have to mulligan to 5 (and begin to imagine my top 4 chances slipping away from me). Fortunately, after keeping my two lands, Fanatic, Spiteful Visions and Hellspark Elemental, I draw into two lands and drop the Visions when he's tapped out. Each of us start taking damage while I have a good life advantage due to early Fanatic/Elemental beats. Plus, the Visions keeps drawing me into a steady stream of burn and 2 Goblin Outlanders. Unfortunately for me, he sticks a Wall of Reverence and a played Reveillark, though I keep beating through with my Outlanders to keep his life total honest. The next turn, he drops his second Wall and jumps back up to 10 life. I take a deep breath, draw two, attack for 4 pro-white, drop my 7th land and Banefire for 6. He has no response and is visibly frustrated at losing to burn with two Walls of Reverences on his side of the board.
3-1, 7-4
I had no business winning that game after mulling to 5, but my confidence shoots up and I've somehow 2nd in the standings at 3-1 in a 30+ person tourney. I can't figure it out, but I have one more match to play.
Round 5: Phil with Nyxathid
Game 1: Phil is 4-0 and we did some trading earlier, where he was extremely generous trading me a fair amount of newer uncommons and rares for some of my older things. We discuss the probability of IDing here, but he says we'll see later. I manage to burn him to burn him to 8 and stick double Gouger before he discards me out and drop his Nyxathid at a full 7/7. I rip a Lashout, attack into his 'thid and win the Clash to reveal a fatal Volcanic Fallout for the previous turn.
Game 2: He sided in Puppeteer Clique and continues to take my Unearth creatures after discarding me out and overwhelming me fairly easily.
Game 3: He talks about our discussion of IDing and asks if I still want to take it. After thinking it over, I accept his offer and turn in our draw. We still play this game out and it turns out I'd have had to mulligan twice and got supremely stomped.
3-1-1, 8-5-1
Final standings are up and I grabbed third place out of a field of 30+ (I think it was 39). I have no idea how 3-1-1 grabbed third, but I'll take it. I'm a bit uneasy about next week's prospect now that Alara Reborn will be legal and R/B looks like one of the decks to beat, meaning people will prepare their boards for this matchup..... I don't imagine my deck will do as well next week.
EDIT: Turns out the names of the players I forgot were both Steve.
Ransac, cpa trash man