Tournament Report FNM Mashpee MA

Tournament Location: Game Night, Mashpee MA

Tournament Format: Friday Night Magic, Standard Constructed

My Deck: Turbofog '07

It was a miserable night out tonight, with sleet and freezing rain making the roads, well, challenging would be one word for it. My original plan was to go to a Friday Night Magic tourney at Gateway Comics Etc. in Wareham. The event started at 6:00 and I arrived at 5:30 to find that they were not expecting to have enough players to run. I stuck around for a little while to see if more would show up and did a bit of casual playing/trading.

At 6:15 I left, figuring on trying to catch the event at Game Night at 7:00 PM. It's back in the direction of home and gets decent crowds for FNM. I'd been there my last couple of times playing and I like to play at a variety of venues, which is why I was in Wareham to begin with.

I arrived in Game Night just in time to get signed up for their event, and they ended up having a decent crowd of about 12-14 players.

Three rounds of Swiss then cut to top four.

Round one vs. B/W Reanimator

First game, I get a Howling Mine off early and never look back. Opponent keeps reanimating Angel of Despair and destroying my lands, but he lets me keep the howling mine, which keeps me supplied with plenty of land and plenty of "fog". Look! It's Akroma, Angel of Wrath! Look! She's doing no combat damage this turn. Wash, rinse, repeat. A few Glimpse the Unthinkables and it's academic.

Second game starts off okay, but opponent has sideboarded in a pair of Bogardan Hellkites. I'm caught unprepared for direct damage. At one point, I try to clear the board with Damnation, to set up Debtors' Knell, which I'd sideboarded in. Opponent Resurrects his Bogardan Hellkite, then kills it with HIS Wrath of God, then Zombifies it. Sadly, Angel's Grace is nowhere to be seen.

Third game goes to me thanks to some additional sideboarding. I add in Luminesce to deal with the pesky dragons, and I'm able to use a Muddle the Mixture as a counter at a key moment to seal the win.

Result: I win 2-1

Round Two vs. Monogreen Stompy

Opponent smacks me upside the head with Uktabi Drake on turn 1. On my third turn I tap out to transmute a Dimir Infiltrator to get my Howling Mine going. What are the chances that he's holding Groundbreaker? Um... Yeah. Ouch. Down to 12. I cast the Howling Mine, and next turn he's sending another Groundbreaker my way. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I cast Darkness to prevent the damage, and draw Extirpate on the next turn. No more Groundbreakers for you! Opponent eats a succession of Glimpse the Unthinkable and runs out of cards.

Second game was just ugly, with me casting three Extirpates in the first few turns. In the end, he had me at four life, and I had to scramble to keep up my defenses, but I ended up countering a Squall Line that was my opponent's last shot at taking me out before his library came up empty.

Result: I win 2-0.

Round 2 vs. U/G Aggro Control

First game I win in typical fashion. Opponent casts lots of creatures, but is not effective at either attacking or countering once multiple Howling Mines are in play.

Game 2: I get in trouble early and then make a bad play mistake by failing to sac a Terramorphic Expanse that leaves me unable to cast Wrath of God and Angel's Grace. I get the Wrath off and opponent kills me with a pair of Psionic Blasts.

The third game comes down to countering, and I'm somehow able to draw out his last remaining Mystic Snake after getting incredibly on a pair of Glimpse the Unthinkables that dumped most of his biggest threats into the graveyard.

Results: I win 2-1.

Semifinals vs. G/B Thallids

Game 1 goes my way in convincing fashion, but this opponent is on to me, and boards in Naturalize and Seal of Primordium, to take out my Howling Mines. In Game 2 I'm mana screwed at the beginning, which doesn't help matters. In game 3 I never manage to keep a Howling Mine on the board. Both of these games end up with me emptying my hand without ever really getting control.

Results: I lose 1-2.

Overall: Tied for third place (final record 3-1 with 4 total game lossesout of 11 games played). I win a FNM promo foil Gerrard's Verdict.

Thoughts

I think I've finally hit on a version of the deck that works. My only match loss came against sideboarding that I wasn't prepared for. I need to think about some extra countering capability on the Sideboard to back up my Howling Mines. I also could have played better in that last matchup. Muddle the Mixture got transmuted a couple of times when it might have been better held for use against Naturalize to protect Howling Mine.

I've also determined that Debtors' Knell on the sideboard doesn't work. Sure, it gives an alternative path to victory and it's amusing, but it was just clogging up my deck the times it was boarded in. That space would be better off taken up by counters or more fog or more creature-kill.

I'm also skeptical of Martyr of the Sands on the Sideboard. I boarded her in a couple of times, but never actually sacrificed her. The deck could use some kind of life gain, but I haven't found one that fits while still being Standard-legal. Where's Pulse of the Fields when you need it?