Tournament report – Sunday 10 September 2001 in Castricum, The Netherlands

Ok, after getting a good night’s sleep(5 hrs that is), I got up, showered, got dressed and went downstairs. After having breakfast, I left for the trainstation to pick up a few friends, when I remembered I’d left my binder of playing cards(all the things I needed for that day included) at home. Great, that sucked.

After going back and picking it up, I arrived 15 mins later at the station, only to be welcomed by....some homeless dude who was asking for money. I was kinda tired at that time, and I definitely didn’t want to meet someone like him. Oh well, you get used to it. After my friends arrived, we left for the tourney.

2 hours later, I found out why not having a car radio is really, really irritating. I felt like I was going to fall asleep or something. And yes, we actually had to drive 2 hours to get to the tourney, but we’re used to that by now, after attending it earlier.

The evening before I’d been pondering with the thought or replacing Black Vise in the sideboard with a Wheel of Fortune, to help against discard decks, and after consulting my friends, I did just so. This is the final decklist I played.

// Land
4 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
4 City of Brass
3 Volcanic Island
3 Wasteland
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
// Artifacts
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Scrying Glass
1 Zuran Orb
// Blue
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stroke of Genius
2 Morphling
3 Fact or Fiction
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Counterspell
// Multicolor
1 Vindicate
// Black
1 Mind Twist
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 The Abyss
1 Diabolic Edict
// Green
1 Regrowth
// White
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Moat
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Balance
// Sideboard
SB: 2 Diabolic Edict
SB: 2 Seal of Cleansing
SB: 4 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 1 Teferi's Response
SB: 1 The Abyss
SB: 1 Moat
SB: 1 Wheel of Fortune
SB: 1 Circle of Protection: Red
SB: 1 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Ivory Mask

As we still had close to 45 minutes before the tourney started, we played some cards and then went to trade some. I noticed one guy who seemed to have a few Beta cards in his binder and made my way to him. After opening it, the first cards were crap, but the 2nd page held a Beta Black Lotus, Alpha Mox Jet and some other goodies. I told him I’d really like the Beta Lotus, ut the closest thing I had was a nm Unlimited Lotus. As a matter of fact, that was just the card he was looking for, and so, after some discussion, we decided I’d have a thought if I’d trade my Lotus and $150 for his. Anyway, the tournament was about to begin and I went to my 1st round of the day.

Round 1: Roel Huting with a weird B/U counter beatdown deck.

We got seated and after some shuffling, I drew my hand. It wasn’t bad, and quickly I was in control and beating him down with a Morphling, he conceded, rather then playing out a lost game. We went to game 2.

Sideboard: In went 4 REB’s and a 2nd Moat. Out went Mystical, Vampiric, Abyss, Blow and 1 Wasteland.

The 2nd game saw me completely mana screwed. And I mean completely, totally. I didn’t draw anything aftre my Tundra amd Mox Jet. I died to Scuta beating soon after.

The 3th game saew me mana screwed...again :-( Great, what a good way to start a tourney, losing 2-1 against a deck I should beat with my eyes shut. Damn.

Games 1-2, matches 0-1-0

Round 2: Jurriaan ?? with mono Green.

Ok, I dunno what happened 1st round, but I completely beat this deck, I took 5 dmg the whole match. 1st game saw me off with a mediocre mhand, which turned great after topdecking Ancestral. Moat maindeck is a killer, as he could’ve rushed me with an Abyss out, but Moat shut down his deck completely.

Sideboard: In go Moat and Abyss, out go Mind Twist and Dismantling Blow.

The 2nd rouind saw me off to an even speedier start, with me casting Tundra and Mox Sapphire turn 1. I ancestralled during his upkeep and drew Will, Black Lotus and Moat. I dunno why I didn’t start playing with Will earlier, but I LOVE it. 2nd turn saw me shutting him down completely, with Will action, which also netted me Morphling from my Will’ed Ancestral. He died quickly and painlessly(sort off).

Games 3-1, matches 1-1-0

Between round I found some time to sell some cards and then proceed to secure the Beta Lotus. Yes, I was so happy at the time, I didn’t mind it if I’d gone 1-5 after that.

3rd round. Scott ?? with Red/Black

This was probably the funniest match I played all day. We both had a great time, even though I kicked his ass. After shuffling, I drew a 1 land hand, and mulligan into Tundra, Sea, Ancestral, Mox Ruby, Mox Jet and Timetwister. I ponder about what to do. He goes first and goes Mountain, done. I draw a Strip and kill his Mountain. He casts 2 of the tapduals from invasion which I waste(drew 2 Wastes after the Strip). He’s then mana screwed and dies quickly to Morph beatings.

Sideboard: In go COP:red and Ivory Mask, out go Scrying Glass and Blow.

Game 2 saw me cast turn 2 COP and after this it was all downhill for him. He’d forgotten his sideboard and suffered the consequences.

Games 5-2-0, Matches 2-1-0

Round 4: Laurens ?? with Counterburn.

Game 1 sees me with a 2 land hand, of which 1 gets wasted and I don’t draw a new after that. I can’t believe I’m mana screwed again, but it seems my deck just must do this about 10% of the time. Oh well, on to game 2.

Sideboard: In go 4 REB, COP:red and Ivory Mask, out go Abyss, Regrowth, Blow(again), Mind Twist, Wasteland and Swords.

Game 2 starts of pretty well, until I see, in the 2nd turn that he didn’t shuffle his graveyard from the last game back into his deck. I call over the judge and he’s awarded a game loss. It sucks but it’s right.

Game 3 I own him comnpletely. Once again it’s really clear why P9 is called the Power 9. I cast some stuff, then try to force through a COP. I cast COP, he counters, I REB, he counters again, I REB again, he FOW’s, I Mana Drain. It’s the play of my day, so far at least. After this I beat him easily, with him just going on about his game loss.

Games 7-3-0, matches 4-1-0

Round 5: Rob Konijn with Red/green

Game 1 saw me somewhat mana screwed, and I lost to not drawing Wastes when I needed them as he had 3(!!) Factory’s.

Sideboard: in go Mask, Moat and COP:red, out go Scrying Glass, Mind Twist and Blow(again)

Game 2 I totally had him and Cast turn 1 COP off Tundra, mox. I controlled the game as Moat joined and I build up to Morph and killed him.

Game 3 Saw me play turn 3 Mask after which he just kept on playing, hoping to draw an answer. He was also mana screwed, which helped me out a lot.

Games 9-4-0, matches 4-1-0

Round 6, the last, even though we had 64 players. Chris Blokker with mono black

This was a good player, he was 5-0 so far, but got paired down against me. I excel in ebating mono black decks and this wasn’t an exception. Game 1 he was slightly mana screwed and I cast Moat. Then I didn’t draw a counter the whole game, had to cast Morphling 3 times(normasl, Regroth and Will) before he had run out of Edicts. He concede when I had him to 13.

Sideboard: In go Ivory Mask and Moat, out go Scrying Glass and Blow(again).

Ok, this was even better, I draw LOtus, Mox, Sol Ring, Mind Twist, FoW, FoF and City of Brass. After he casts a land, I Mind Twist him for 5. Game winner. I play on, cast Moat and he concedes.

Final Result: Games 11-4-0, matches 5-1-0

I end up 5th overall, and receive 4 packs of Apoc, which net me a Pernicious Deed, which pays my trip and entry fee.

For the end, props/slops

Props:
Rudy, Ton and Steven, for being fun, even though we didn’t have a radio in the car.
My Opponents(except round 1) for giving me wins etc....
The guy I traded the Beta Lotus from, I forgot your name, sorry
Everyone/everything else i forgot to mention
My deck, which didn’t crap out on me that much.

Slops:
My round 1 opponent, which I just should have beaten :/
The car radio, for breaking down a week before the trip and not being repaired yet.