This was my
first ever PTQ playing a deck with counterspells! I decided to play Black Blue
Green, or BUG – as it involved small flying things. I was playing Pernicious Deed
main deck, but was convinced by my Texas buddy, Dustin Towry, to move them to
the board. This turned out to be a great idea – the last Irish PTQ was won by a
Desolation Angel deck, and Deed isn’t great against Lynxes. The PTQ was to
start at 11.30 am so I left Cork in plenty of time, as I wanted to get borrow
some sideboard cards, and make some last minute changes. However, come 11.20 I
had been stuck outside Waterford for over 20 minutes, behind a big line of
traffic, which was stuck behind a wide load truck, carrying what looked like
some huge milk silo. There was no way I was going to make it on time, so I
phoned Ralph the tournament organiser. I had to drive frantically through the
back streets, while my passenger Lee relayed Ralphs directions to me. Thanks to
everyone at the PTQ for waiting for me! I got in around 12, and wrote out my
deck list, without time to make my changes and borrow cards. So some of it’s a
bit random! Still, it was a lot better than a round 1 match loss for being
late….
4 Gaeas
Skyfolk - game winners
3 Blurred
Mongoose
3 Mystic
Snake
3 Ebony
Treefolk - great, but maybe should be Emblazoned Golem
3 Spirit
Monger
4 Undermine
2 Repulse
2 Recoil
2
Exclude - weren’t great
3 Evasive
Action – mighty!
1
Prohibit
2 Opt –
should be Disrupt
4 Fact or
Fictions
6 Island
5 Forest
3 Swamp
4 Salt
Marsh
3 Yamiyaya
Coast
3 Llanowar
Coast
SIDEBOARD:
2 Disrupt
2 Tsabo
Decree - against Lynx, Voice of All,
remove Desolation Angel from hand
2 Lobotomy
2 Dodecapod
3 Jungle Barrier
– against R/G
3
Pernicious Deed – against U/G, and other assorted beatdown
1 Gainsay –
should be 3. Darn wide loads!
ROUND 1 –
Dave Finething, playing Kowal
Of course,
play a fellow Team 5FU member! My little guys, backed by by cheaper counters, win
the game. Evasive Action was especially good here. Game 2, I side out the Opts for the Disrupts. Ebony Treefolk
provide some solid beatdown, before Dave casts a creature, which I exclude,
which he Mystics Snakes, which I Undermine, which he Undermines, which I
Disrupt. 2 cards for me, 3 life loss for Dave means I win that one.
ROUND 2 –
Eoin Brosnan – B/W with Blue and Gerrards Verdict
An early
verdict makes me discard, but my Skyfolk go all the way. His turn 2 Lynx goes
all the way, while Exclude and Counters sit in my hand. I’m hoping he’ll cast
something else, so I can get something out, but he wisely sits on the Lynx.
Eoin is renowned for his slow play, yet we got two games done in 10 minutes!
Both games, the winner was on 20 life. Game 3 is a bit closer, with Eoin having
2 Lynx on the table, and me with some Snakes. However, his Lobotomy gets my
Tsabos Decree, and that’s it. It’s a tough matchup – I brought in my Dodecapod
in the hope of either discard or blocking Lynx. Lynx is so hard to kill! I maybe
should have left the Treefolk in so I could apply more pressure.
ROUND 3
John Kearney – Desolation Angel
John
borrowed Ollies deck, which won the last PTQ. Game 1, 2 Treefolk mean I can
attack away without worrying about his lone Lynx. Out comes Skyfolk, and my
folkgroup kills him. As folkgroups do. Game 2 I hang on to 2 Decrees for a long
time, but can’t get them to kill the Lynes which beat me down. Game 3 is
dragging on, and I fear the Desolation Angel, so I cast Decree with Evasive
Action backup. I get a Desolation Angel out of his hand. This allows me to cast
some stuff, and apply some beats. However, a while later, Rout has cleared the
board, and I’ve taken damage from a Lynx. Time is called, and I have a Blurred
Mongoose facing his Lynx, with me on 6 life and him on 4. I have only 1 land in
hand. He gets a go, and does nothing. A good crowd has gathered to watch now.
My turn, I draw Repulse, which I cast, draw Spirit Monger, and bring him down
to 2. He recasts Lynx, and its my last
turn. I don’t’ draw a way of killing the Lynx. I have only one hope. I
say “Well, I least I’ll finish with a Spirit Monger in play” I cast the Monger.
“Oh no you won’t” JK says, casting Dromars Charm to counter it. I play
Undermine. Hehe. He dies. It takes a while to sink in, but then everyone
laughs. Whew!
ROUND 4
Craig Brooks Kowal, with Nightscape Familiar
I beat him
with early Gaeas Skyfolk. I get out a Monger, and so does he. I think at one
stage, I had a 16/16 Monger and Craig a 14/14, before Craig got out a second
Monger to make mine stay at home. But Skyfolk keep on flying to bring me the
win. As in many games, the Mongers don’t do much with all the bounce and regen
around. Next game, I keep a hand with 2 land, and 2 Evasive action. He casts a
turn 2 Familiar, followed by a turn 3 Lobotomy. I Evade it, still draw no land,
and he plays a second Familiar. I still don’t draw a third land, and Craig
casts a Fact or Fiction, which I again Evade. Finally I draw some land, and
Craig draw no good stuff. My Monger gets huge being blocked by the Familiar,
but Treefolk make a runway on Craigs head, which my Skyfolk land on.
ROUND 5
James Maher – B/W
ID will
make top 8, so we do. This is James first top 8. We play some games for fun,
and I destroy hin. Interesting deck, with main Urborg Skelton, and the rather
good sideboard option of Haunted Angel against Blue Green tempo – they won’t
kill the Angel, only bounce it!
QUARTERFINAL
– John Larkin – G/U/R
I go in as
8th seed, no doubt helped by all the people who dropped to play
booster draft. Johns playing something like U/G tempo, but with Red for
Fire/Ice, Rage and Flametongue. I hope to win the dice roll, as I have a
feeling the person who wins game 1 will win game 3. I lose the dice!
I take some
early beats, but start to take control with my Spirit Monger. However, Urza is
unhappy with me playing Blue, and his Rage kills me.
In come the
Deeds (finally!), the 1 Gainsay and the Disrupts. Out go Treefolk, Opt and
Prohibit. Some beatdown on both sides, with Mystic Snake and Mongoose (who
should attack snakes!) before Monger comes out. I cast Deed, and like St
Patrick I cleanse Ireland of the Snakes and Monger goes all the way.
Game 3, I
go to about 10 life from 2 Skyfolk. I finally block one. I get Monger out, John
gets Mongoose out. I don’t attack, hoping to draw a Deed, but John keeps flying
over. Repulse delays him, but its game over for me. I reckon I should have
attacked sooner with the Monger. I have never beaten Larkin, but all 3 games
were great, so it was an enjoyable way to go out.
John goes
on to win the PTQ – congrats to him!
PROPS:
Ralph and
Thomas for judging a great tournament
Special
thanks to everyone who helped me in my preparation for Worlds. Due to a last minute
problem, I never got to go, so extra thanks to my friends for keeping me drunk
for the whole week of Worlds and to the Irish team for bringing me back those
cool Japanese boosters.
SLOPS:
Wizards –
where are all the Nationals trophys!!!!