Roanoke VA Osaka PTQ Summary 12/22/01

Billy Corgan: "James, do you want to tell any stories?"
James Iha: "Uhhh.... I just wanna rock."
Smashing Pumpkins, VH1 Storytellers

I think that sums up my decision to play Sligh at an extended PTQ. I had toyed around with variants splashing white for enchantment kill, but when it comes down to it the best deck is one that is the most consistent. So I decided to go with consistency instead of versatility.

The deck I chose to run was one published by Sean McKeown but with a couple of tweeks:

"Option C"

4 Fanatic
4 Pup
3 Cadet
3 Patrol
3 Vandal
4 Ball Light

4 Reckless Charge

4 Firebolt
4 Incinerate
4 Fireblast
2 Reckless Abandon

14 Mountain
4 Wasteland
4 Barbarian Ring

SB
3 Meekstone
2 Anarchy
3 Furnace
4 Pyros
3 PoP

Basically, the Goblin Vandals were a metagame call. I've always liked some sort of control element in my decks. And there appeared to be a number of artifacts worth taking out in order to remove time from my opponent's game: sapphire medallion, cursed scroll, claws of gix, ensnaring bridge, phyrexian furnace, winter orb, mox diamonds, etc.

The other tweek was the inclusion of 4 Wastelands. Once again, removing early time from my opponent's game.

Fundamentally, Reckless Charge is amazing. I apologize for overlooking this card. The damage from this card is significant and with flashback keeps on coming.

Match 1: Stasis 2-1

This is one matchup I had not tested against and didn't expect to beat. The key to winning was that he was running non-basics, so the wastelands bought some time. The first game was over quick, maybe 4 turns... I had a nearly perfect draw against a goldfish. Stasis and Kismet won the second game with a Stroke of Genius as the kill card. The last game went Pup, Pup, Charge and ended with a concession once my opponent saw the 2 Fireblasts in my hand.

Match 2: Alluren/Raisin Bran 1-2

Another deck I had not tested against. I win one game by wasting his early lands and putting him into mana screw but he has walls in the other 2 games and buys adequate time to get the combo off. The Walls are a portent of things to come.

Match 3: Miracle Grow 2-0

Game 1 I just burned away any relavant threats. Fortunately Dyrads start small and are easily toasted. The second game for some reason I choose to go the opposite route.... I'm holding so much burn, I figure I'll chance a big dryad and just burn my opponent out. His 6/6 dryad chump blocks a Pup, but with the damage from a Cadet and my burn I go the distance. Oddly enough, I didn't see any Winter Orbs in either game... maybe the vandals created a fear factor? I dunno.

Match 4: Suboptimal Junk 2-0

This deck is sort of like the WW PT Jank of a few years back but with Armadillo Cloak, Rancor, and Blastoderm. The problem is IMHO, his mana base is too janky and unreliable. Adding to that observation, I never once saw him play tithe or land grant. Game 1 my opponent elects to keep a 1 land hand. Reckless charge runs away with that game once I wasted his second land drop. Game 2 he finds a mox diamond and drops an aegis of honor and a planar void quickly. (I'm not overly concerned about the void.) He cloaks a Soltari and hits for 1 turn, but it's the pro-black variety and it gets burned the following turn. I Vandalize his mox and bolt a knight. When he drops a Soltari Priest, I go ahead and use the anarchy I had from the opening draw. He activates his Aegis, so I just wait until his turn to double fireblast him.

Match 5: RU Critter (a rogue deck with Waterspout Dijjn, Frentic Efreet, Pups, burn, card draw and counters) 2-0

At this point I'm in 8th place and can't draw in. The first game I draw into 3 ball lightnings, at least 1 of which gets through. I win a coin toss to bolt an Efreet. A 4/4 Waterspout does hit the table, but I easily outrace him. Game 2 I side in pyros and meekstones. I play 2 meekstones by turn 2. He FTK's one of my critters and attacks next turn. Awesome. He attempts to untap it the next 3 turns until it sets in what Meekstone does. He casts a Waterspout but is forced to keep it back as a chump as I build an army. Hindering matters, he draws into a 7 land pocket and I overwhelm him with a charge with plenty of backup.

At this point, Swiss play is over. I'm the number 2 seed overall, with a 4-1 match record and 9-3 game record.

Match 6: The Rock and his Millions 0-2
This was an interesting variant of the deck running Coffin queens instead of recurring nightmare to recur the elders. I had ok opening hands but my opponents were near perfect. Unfortunately I didn't have early wastelands to stunt his development. I could do only about 4 points of damage before I was walled in and put on the defensive.

Oh well. I did take home half a box of product for my effort (not to mention the T8 pin).

So there you have it. If anything, there is the temptation to drop the Vandals in favor of Digging Teams. Or maybe entirely for 4th copies of Patrol and Cadet. But i'll keep them in for a bit longer.

Pup