Well, here we are back in Scunthorpe for Magic organised by Rich Hagon of Mox radio fame. Scunthorpe Magic is unsanctioned and allows you to play in a relaxing atmosphere but against some quality opposition. I know I am not the greatest player in the world but have managed to Top 8 at Lincolnshire Champs and made a PTQ Top 8 in my first year back in the hobby but I am going to be lucky to come out of here with a record better than 0-6 and yes you did read that right. Let’s just say when you draw up into the car park and Craig Stevenson the English national Champion is chatting to Neil Rigby, a regular in the Top 8s at PTQs and Nationals you know it will be a long day, even longer when the champion of the Lightning Helix Craig “The Professor” Jones rolls up with Andy “Boomer” Clayton (England National team at Worlds). The rest of the field is pretty much top notch opposition with Yorkshire Champion Mark Voisey, Nick Sephton (Dci Judge Level 3) and Paul Graham (PTQ Kobe winner at Bradford).
The format is going to be 2 rounds Ravnica block draft, two rounds standard and two rounds Time Spiral Draft.
Prizes are in reverse order
4th Box of Celebrations
3rd A book on dice games
2nd Top trumps Ultimate Football manager DVD game
and the staggering
wait for this
Coz everyone likes a bit of bully ….
1st Bullseye DVD game
Ravnica Booster Deck
Well my draft pool is Mark Voisey to my right, Rich Hagon to my left and the rest are Andrew Jagger, Andrew Leeder, Russ Davies, Paul Graham and Nick Sephton. The other table is Colin Ward, Keith Spragg, Sonny Jensen, Mark Hammond, Boomer, Prof, Craig ‘Star City’ Stevenson and Neil Rigby.
My first pick is Vulturous Zombie it’s a solid flying beat, the second pick is much harder as a I have a choice of faith fetters or vitu ghazi (I believe the rare was a watery grave). Either will put me into white and decide that the Ghazi more suits my play realising I may have just passed away a card that will haunt me. Next pick I go for Darkblast in case I need some removal and have decided now that Green White Black which is a good omen for me as those were the colours I used when went PTQ top 8 at Altrincham for Kobe. I decide that a token strategy may be in order now as a Twilight Drover comes my way, a card I would normally pass but has synergy with the Vitu Ghazi and Selesnya Evanangel coming round. Yeah, for once I was reading the draft Selesyna was pretty much being left alone. And onto Guildpact, rip, Ghost Council of Orzhova staring at me and its straight in my pile as on colour and a bomb to boot. Next two picks are both plagued rusalka’s and you know what I am feeling happy with my picks, the same couldn’t be said at the Nationals Grinders where I really screwed up my draft and ended up switching mid way to disastrous results. Solid picks of Dryad Sophisticate and Silhana Ledgewlaker plus a Starved Rusalka had me confident. Onto Dissension and pack is a mare, I decide that I’ll have the Rakdos Pit Dragon to deny it coming back at me. Next pick is Seal of Doom and this is followed by a Hide / Seek and Supply / Demand will fit into the deck.
And so to the deck list …
5 Swamp
6 Forest
6 Plains
Vitu Ghazi
Orzhov signet
Absolver Thrull
Seed Spark
Steeling Stance
Twilight Drover
Dryad Sophisticate
Goliath Spider
Simic Initiate
Silhana Ledgewalker
Dark blast
Enemy of the Guildpact
Plagued Rusalka x 2
Seal of Doom
Vesper Ghoul
Simic Guildmage
Selesnya Evanangel
Seeds of Strength
Vultourous Zombie
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Hide / Seek
Supply / Demand
Other Cards
Nivix Aerie of the Firemind, Conjurers Ban, Ink treader Nephilim (Yes this fecker came all the way round and was given to me as fifteenth card !), Vigean Intuition, Cyclopean Snare, Skullmead Cauldron, Walking Archive, Abyssal Nocturnus, Carrion Howler, Empty the Catacombs, Nightcreep, Leyline of Lifeforce, Recollect, Starved Rusalka, Caregiver, Chant of Vitu Ghazi, Leyline of the Meek, To Arms, Wakestone gargoyle,
Rakdos Pit Dragon, Torpid Moloch and Utvara Scrapper bringing up the rear.
And so the first round and I draw Rich Hagon. He is playing white black with the odd splash of green so it explains where a lot of the cards went or never came and guess what he has the fetters I passed. Game one and two are non descript affairs as I get mana screwed first game and him second game. The third match though is an enjoyable game as Rich gets off to a flying start but then the vitu ghazi is dropped turn 5 and small creatures are coming down. Then the game balance swings as I play twilight drover to much sniggering on the adjoining table, the sniggering stops when I use the drovers ability from a chump blocking saproling and then with a plagued rusalka in play its getting obscene, sacrifice token, make two more and the balance is swinging my way and nibbling at Rich’s life and now have enough creatures to chump block become a -1 -1 token and knock out the 2/2 creatures etc. Then I draw supply /demand tapping out for seven saprolings. SCOOP ! I won a match and am delighted as last time I played Rich he slaughtered me and I feel good that my play standard has improved.
The second round pitches me against Nick Sephton, the first game is a long drawn out affair with the battle ebbing and flowing with both players feeling the pressure and making errors but keeping their cool to stabilise again. You know I should have died twice but managed to top deck, firstly the Hide / Seek to gain some much needed life but Nick’s best creature was in hand, then I drew Ghost council and the game is becoming a feature match from those who have already finished. Barbarian riftcutter takes out the vitu ghazi and my field is in trouble but I get Nick down to one life and he is dead in his turn unless he can top deck. Nick draws a Plains ! Normally you would whoop with joy but Nick just needed his second plain to play Razia, Boros Archangel and swings for the win. The second game has both players get off to reasonable starts but Nick is getting better draws and using them very well. Paul Graham comments that “Players play and those who can’t judge” and I scold Paul as it’s very hard to play with tears of laughter streaming down your face from the banter. Nick finishes me off just before time expires and it’s a well deserved win. That fella can play a bit as well.
Standard
The previous day in Lincoln had perversely been testing for today when normally you don’t risk ranking points for an unsanctioned event. However, this is Mox Mini Nats and street credibility is on the line and if I do well I may even appear on the show, which may be unlikely as I beat the host match 1 <oops>
The Deck list for my Discard Deck
4 Ravenous rats
4 Hypnotic Specter
3 Angel of Despair
4 Shrieking Grotesque
3 Castigate
4 Wrath of God
3 Funeral Charm
3 Stupor
4 the Rack
4 Mortify
4 Godless Shrine
4 orzhov basilica
4 caves of Koilis
1 Orzhova, Church of Deals
8 Swamp
3 Plains
Sideboard
4 Sacred Ground
1 Funeral Charm
1 Stupor
2 Faith Fetters
2 Persecute
3 Leyline of the void
2 Cruel Edict
My Third opponent is Russ Davies who is part of Team Manchester and wore one of those annoying pink t shirts at Nationals. I have to say I like Russ as not just a player but a friend, when I was being battered out of sight at a Nationals Qualifier and had dropped to draft he was very supportive of my game. Curiously I faced off against Russ and beat him 2-1 on my way to PTQ Top 8 at Altrincham (have I mentioned that yet ?). Russ and I have squared off a few times since and we usually have a good chat before, after and during the games. Russ is playing red green snow beats accelerating with into the norths and dropping big creatures. Game One and he is my bitch with his hand in the graveyard. Game 2 and Russ sure knows how to sideboard and apparently so do I as I drop a Sacred ground early on to counter his land kill options. Specters and the Rack have Russ teetering but Russ starts dropping Hierach’s. Hang on where did they come from, Russ is actually playing RGW albeit a splash and from seeing victory in sight Russ manages to stabilise with the life gain for the win. One more turn and he would have been mine. Game Three and after some tweaking to the board Russ plays out some Search for tomorrow goodness and is dropping multiple hierach’s. The beats rain in and Russ gets a much deserved 2-1 win.
Next up and oh my god who did I upset in a previous life Andy “boomer” Clayton and I am worried as Andy is an excellent control deck player and excels with blue. My worst fears are realised when he suspends Ancestral Vision and I know that hand is never going to be even close to being hurt by a rack. Boomer mercilessly puts me to the sword and I can’t even lay any damage on him and after Teferi is backed up by Dralnu I am screwed. Game two and at least my sideboard tech engages with a Leyline of the Void straight into play from my opening hand, second game and Andy is taking damage but shame it is from playing Shock lands. The leyline gets repealed and Andy unleashes the awesome terror of the deck with Teferi dropping down to beat the crap out of me.
Still the day gave me some pointers and sometimes there are those matchups that your deck with struggle with. Should I try the Flagstones of Trokair – Smallpx version next time ?
Time Spiral Booster Draft
Okay, I am on the bottom table with Andy L, Andy J, Boomer, Riggers, Sonny, Paul and Nick. I am feeling down but looking to make a fight of it. A bottom table with Nel and Boomer just seems strange.
First pick Flying men, second pick Ancestral Vision as I think blue could be an option by now and third card coming round the corner is Dralnu who I take thinking of a black blue strategy though not sure how much my judgement was clouded by the last constructed match up. A couple of packs later along comes a Momentarily Blink and I remember the theory that White Blue is the strongest in Draft. I switch into white as the packs also have other white cards lurking with some solid beats like Benalish Cavalry and Flickering Spirit I am quite happy. Throw in a couple of Griffin Guides and even happier.
The deck ends up as …
9 Plains
9 Island
Ancestral Vision
Flying Men
Ghost Ship
Ixidron
2 Sage of Epityr
2 Screeching Sliver
Shadow Sliver
Willbender
Amrou Seekers
Benalish Cavalry
Cloudchaser kestrel
Disenchant
Flickering Spirit
Griffin Guide 2
Momentary Blink
Sildewinder Sliver
Zealot Il Vec
Opaline Sliver
Vensers Sliver
Other Cards
Yeah they were bad and a fair few dubious black cards.
And we are into round five and it is around now I really wonder should I have gone for white sooner and draw Andy Clayton again. Funnily enough Andy was playing the same from the other side of the table and had more of the blue creatures like Errant Ephemeron. Andy really gives me a lesson in playing magic and it’s a 2-0 hammering. Yeah my deck stinks and the only think I learnt was playing 18 land in Time Spiral like the pro’s is a good thing as least didn’t get mana screwed.
And onto the last match up and it is Andrew Jagger and it is a cellar match Andrew is 0-5 and we are stranded near the bottom. Andrew jokes about an Id as he doesn’t want a whitewash and I agree “Hey, this way I don’t finish bottom.” And then we laugh and play out the match as after all nothing to lose. Game one sees Ixidron drop when I have the creature advantage and it helps me push through for the win. Game two becomes a sliver battle as we end up milling one another and I am unfortunate to be decked first as he has better removal to get rid of my slivers. Game three sees time on the round called and in the last turn of the extra turns Andy is able to play a triskalevus and make the three creatures to prod me for three points of damage and a well earned win.
Well, neither myself or Sonny have made Top 8 cut so we head off home but the Top 8 were Colin Ward with 13 points, Neil Rigby, Keith Spragg, Boomer, Craig Stevenson, Craig Jones, Mark Hammond all on 12 points and Nick Sephton on 10 points.
The eventual winner was Andy “Boomer” Clayton.
I can heartily recommend Richards events as they always have a twist, cater for all standards of play and the atmosphere is fun
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
