We came.
We saw.
We drank.
We danced.
We conquered.
We drank.
(If someone could give me that in Latin, I
would be most grateful. I know the Veni, Vidi, Vici part.)
After months of practice, it was finally time for
Nationals. I decided to play Fires, as its such a reliable deck. More on that
further on. The event was held in Jurys Hotel, in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Normally
Nationals is 6 rounds of limited, followed by 6 rounds of Type II. But a week
before the event WOTC announced there would be meatgrinders in the morning,
with Irish top 54 getting invites. I was ranked 12th, so I was ok.
We all had to turn up by 10am though, so that WOTC could see how many
meatgrinder places there would be to make 64 players. The downside was that
this meant only 3 rounds of Rochester, and 3 rounds of Type II. Most people,
including myself, weren’t very happy about this!
Anyway, this meant we had free drafts while the
meatgrinders were on. I had some good games, an especially close one when on
turn 3 I was getting attacked by a Shivan Zombie with a Sinister Strength. Top
decked a Aura Griffin though, and turned a Travellers Cloak and Sinister Strength white to make them
fall off the Zombie. Cards that change colour in Invasion Block are most
strong. Pledge of Loyalty also won me 2 games. I won my table, and was starting
to feel “in the zone”.
At 2.30pm, we were seated in our pods. Justin
Walsh was on my left, with John Kearney. Justin is L5R World Champion, and a
solid limited player. He usually goes Blue/White. I guesses JK would go
Black/Red. I’m placed second in the draft order. Can’t remember my first pick,
but my booster has Atalya, Samite Healer. Which I take. Don’t get much more
White, but manage to get some Green. Planning to splash some Red or Black, as
G/W on its own sucks. Justin and JK both go the colours I guessed. Until Pack
10 that is! Suddenly JK picks a Nomadic Elf. Oh no. I hate it when the player
on my right goes 5 colour green. Now its more of a guess what he’ll pick from
each pack. I stay friendly with Justin, leaving him some amazing Blue. Going
onto the second lot of Invasion boosters, I decide to go G/R/W. I get some nice
green fat, a Harrow and the always good Power Armour. Things are looking up! At
the end of Invasion, I have a lot of tricks but not many creatures.
The first few Planeshift boosters give me Riths
Charm and Lashknife Barrier. Then I’m faced with a choice of either Thornscape
Battlemage or Aurora Griffin. Now the Battlemage is an amazing card. But I have
no evasion creatures, and I do have a Armadillo Cloak and Power Armour. After
much soul searching in my 5 seconds, I decide to go for the Griffin. I reckon I
could hold off on the ground with my fat and Atalya, and there should be at least
1 flyer to break any creature stalemates. Luckily, another Battlemage comes my
way, as does a second grffin. Justin splashes black for 2 Bog Downs and some
creature removal. I reckon he has an awesome deck, and hope not to get paired
against him.
I decide to play most of my tricks, and go
41cards so I could fit in Obliterate. Heres what I played:
12 CREATURES
( should always have at least 12)
1 Quirion Explorer
1 Thornscape Apprentice
1 Firebrand Ranger
1 Hunting Kavu
1 Thornscape Battlemage
2 Aurora Griffin
1 Voracious Cobra
2 Pouncing Kavu
2 Serpetine Kavu
1 Atalya
TRICKS:
1 Tribal Flames
1 Harrow
1 Shackles
1 Riths Charm
1 Lashknife Barrier
1 Armadillo Cloak
2 Zap
1 Power Armour
1 Frenzied Tilling
1 Obliterate
LAND:
7 Forest
6 Mountain
1 Trevas Ruins
4 Plains
Best of the rest: Kavu Climber, Prison
Barricade, Gerrards Command, Gaeas Might.
So, on to the games!
ROUND 1: David McInhenny
Out come my lucky charms. ( man, I hate those cereal
ads with the Leprechaun) I recently bought Mageknight, which is an excellent
game. So I use 2 pieces from that - Magus and Neophant, who I name Urza and
Rith. And outside of the fact I won 2-1, that’s all I remember about this game.
ROUND 2: Justin Walsh
Oh no, I saw the power he drafted. But
somedays, you just win. I play turn 2 Firebrand Ranger. He plays Dreamthrush. I
play Zap and attack. He plays Crimson Alcoylte. I play Battlemage with kicker
and attack. He lays a land and I play Power Armour. He he. He’s now at 12 life
and plays Bog Down. I have 3 cards in hand, and discard Armadillo Cloak and
Tribal Flames to keep Shackles. Justins wonders what on earth I could have in
hand, before dying shortly after when an Aura Griffin joins my gang.
Game 2 I get cloak on the Battlemage while he
gets mana screwed. Whew!
ROUND 3: Barry Fitzgibbon
I saw Barry draft Rith earlier, so I’m a bit
worried. He gets a cloak on a Chameleon, and I’m at 9 with him at 26. I chump
with Serpentine Kavu and Firebrand Ranger, and begin the task of getting him
down from 32 life before he draws Rith. Get my own Cloak on my second
Serpentine, and the game is mine.
Game 2 I have an opening hand of 1 Forest, 1
Mountain, some stuff and a Riths Charm. Barry plays Thornscape Apprentice,
Crimson Alcoylte and Caspashen Unicorn before I draw a third land. I top deck a
plains, he attacks and Rith provides some Saprolings to take out the Apprentice
and Alcoylte early in their studies. I have a Cloak in hand, but have to wait a
few turns before I kill the Unicorn and play Cloak on an Aura Griffin for the
win.