 | Date Posted: 3/2/2010
Posted By: Josh Hendricks
Member Since: 8/7/2008
Number of Replies: 2
Last Post: 3/2/2010 |
| | My Insane Game 3 with Random Pro Guy | For those of you that didn’t witness it, here is an account of the pivotal game in the 5/5/5 draft that advanced me to the semi-finals. First a little set-up though. I was 3-1 going into the fifth round and sitting at 3rd place overall in the standings. My fifth round opponent is none other than the undefeated Random Pro Guy, Rick Stout. I’m playing a green/white creature heavy agro deck and Rick is piloting his menacing blue/black concoction. We played a hard-fought 3 games with Rick eventually edging me out game three with a timely Mind Shatter topdeck. The loss plummets me to 8th and so, for the first round of the finals, I get paired with one seed…Rick.
The first game goes to Rick and the second game is tight but I win it. What follows is details of our third match, which contains more back and forth, top-decking, and nail-biting moments than I remember from any other game of Magic I’ve played.
Turn 1
Rick plays a land and passes the turn.
I play a land and pass the turn.
Turn 2
Rick suspends a Riftwing Cloudskate.
I play a watchwolf and pass. Rick smiles and says “there you go!” After having told me the match before that I should just always play a turn 2 Watchwolf. I agree.
Turn 3
Rick takes a counter off his Cloudskate, plays a land and a Trusty Machette then passes.
I play a land and swing for 3. Rick goes to 17.
Turn 4
Rick sensing the heat from the Watchwolf must have had nothing in hand to deal with it because after he draws his card he openly rejoices, taps 4 mana and plays Krovikan Whispers. Yeah, go ahead and look up what it does. I didn’t remember either.
I draw Novablast Wurm. Lot of good it does me with only 5 land in play. Maybe later. I play an Undead Slayer feeling it’s better for her to get bounced than a land if I play nothing.
Turn 5
Rick pays 1 for his Whispers cumulative upkeep, un-suspends Riftwing Cloudskate, bounces my Undead Slayer, equips MY wolf with a Machette and swings for 7, dropping me to 13.
I untap and draw a Mistral Charger then play it. Well at least I can chump block the Wolf for a turn!
Turn 6
Rick pays 2 for the Whispers and Disfigures my Mistral Charger (so much for chump blocking!). He swings in for 7 and knocks me down to 6.
I play a land and lay down a random chump blocker. I don’t recall which critter it was.
Turn 7
Rick untaps and pays 3 for the Whispers and swings with the well-equipped wolf (get it!) and the Cloudskate. I chump block with whatever creature it was and take 2 from the unblocked Cloudskate putting me at 4. Rick passes.
I untap and draw an Arrest. Finally I can stop some of this madness! I play the arrest on the Cloudskate, knowing if I hit the Wolf he’ll just neglect the Whispers upkeep and hand me back my Arrested Watchwolf. I play yet another random chump blocker for 2.
Turn 8
Rick pays 4 for the Whispers and swings with the Watchwolf. It eats my smaller guy.
I untap and have a tough choice to make. I have a Dawn Charm (which most importantly can prevent all combat damage), an Undead Slayer, and Masako the Humorless (3 mana 2/1 with flash that lets your tapped dudes block), but I only have 5 mana. I can put out chumps for 2 turns and Dawn Charm one turn to keep the wolf at bay for a total of 3 turns. That would put Whispers at 6 or so, but there is no guarantee that he will miss land drops or not draw some kind of removal for my blockers. So I decide to try and take out the Watchwolf with a double block. I play the Undead Slayer and leave 2 open for the Dawn Charm.
Turn 9
Rick untaps, pays 5 for the Whispers, then swings with the 5/4 wolf. I Dawn Charm to prevent the damage choosing not to block.
I untap, play my 6th land (woot!), then swing in with the Undead Slayer for 2, dropping Rick to 15.
Turn 10
Rick untaps pays 6 for the Whispers and swings with the 5/4 Watchwolf, hoping for the win. I tap 3 and plop down Masako the Humorless, double blocking the wolf along with Undead Slayer. Rick shrugs and we both put all of our creatures in the yard. Whispers hits his graveyard and Rick loses 12 life! Finally, a breath of fresh air! Rick drops to 3.
The only card left in my hand is Novablast Wurm, with 6 lands in play, if I rip a land I could end this whole thing! I untap, draw a card and see a plains! I almost say out loud, “That’s game!” I tap out and summon the Wurm.
Turn 11
Rick has no cards in hand so he’s hoping for a miracle. He draws a card, looks a little disappointed and passes the turn.
Sweet! Looks like he drew a blank and the Wurm is going to seal the deal! I untap, draw (a land) and swing with Wurm. Rick smiles, taps 5 mana and plays Nemesis Trap!!! Son of a!!! He laughs as my Wurm is exiled and tells me how lucky he is to have drawn it. I agree and for a moment think that the Trap lets Rick keep the Wurm token until the end of his turn. I almost concede until I re-read the card and realize it will indeed die at the end of MY turn. Whew! Thought I was done for!
Turn 12
Random Pro Guy draws and plays Zombie Assassin (B4 for a 3/2 with Tap, Exile two cards from your graveyard and Zombie Assassin: Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.). He proceeds to equip it with the Machete. Figures…Random Pro Guy top-decks a creature.
Looking for an answer, I untap and draw…an Archon of Ascension! Thank you Jebus! I tap 5 play the 3/4 flyer and gain 3, putting me at 7!
Turn 13
Rick draw a card, realizes he can’t swing into me with losing the game, and decides to sac his Zombie to kill my Archon. Back to top-deck mode we go!
I draw….a land.
Turn 14
Rick draws….and passes
I draw…a land. Here we go!
Turn 15
Rick draws…AND PASSES!
I can’t believe my luck, how is it that he is drawing blanks too!? I untap and draw…Lightkeeper of Emeria!!! I tap 4 and then multi-kick for 5 gaining 10 life and a 2/4 flyer!!! Life total: A hearty 17!
Turn 16
Rick draws and plays “inconsequential ground guy”
I untap and swing for 2, dropping Rick to 1.
Turn 17
Rick draws. Thinks for a moment and then reveals a hand with 3 lands in it.
I can’t believe it when he shows me. On at least 3 occasions I believed I had won the game, and on at least 3 occasions I thought I had lost the game!!! It was truly the most memorable game I have played in many many months, but I guess that’s what 5/5/5 drafts are for!
"I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." Barack Obama |
|
