Get ‘er Dungrove at SCG: Las Vegas

Hello, my name is Michael Cherry and in case you don’t recognize me by name, I am the guy who is always wearing Oregon Ducks gear, be it at the StarCityGames Open: Las Vegas, StarCityGames Open: Phoenix, at one of the local Duel for Duels challenges or playing FNM at my favorite MTG shop, Bad Moons Gaming in Apache Junciton.  While I have only actually been playing Magic since the Innistrad release, I have always loved card games and have so loved learning this frustrating yet invigorating game.

Before I detail my tournament experience, let me thank my wife and kids who allowed me to divulge from our weekend for a few hours with 438 other whackos attempting to win, or make the top 8, or maybe finish in the money… or in my case, just finish with a winning record.  I decided to play a mono Get ‘er Dungrove deck and felt I had a decent chance to succeed.  I modified my deck (some) and actually played with no removal MB (many decks I saw were playing Dismember), only 20 Forests and decided to go the Predator Ooze/Bellowing Tanglewurm route verses the Primeval Titan route in the MB.  My SB was pretty standard except I had one Witchbane Orb and just one Beast Within.

Round One:  Since I was so ‘lucky’ to get matched-up against Kevin McCoy and his Delver deck at the Phoenix Open in the first round, I was even more ‘pleased’ to find I had to play Steven and his semi-mirror deck.  We made our introductions and started the stomp down.  By turn five in the first game, I was up 8-3 and would be swinging for the win next turn… when he miracled a Revenge of the Hunted.  Game two was even worse.  After turn three I was up 19-18 when he miracled again and took me down to 3.  I got him for four and on turn five he pulled his second consecutive miracle.  I did get to see him play later that night in a feature match and was sorry he just missed making the top 10.

Round Two:  Next I got to play another top 100 player in Joey and his Naya Pod deck.  Game one was pretty competitive and I was up 14-9 till he dropped a Wurmcoil, a Pod, sacrificed his Wurm and brought out Elesh Norn.  I quickly scooped and made my adjustments.  Game two was embarrassing.  My first seven had no Forests so I had to mulligan to six.  I kept the six with one Forest.  I didn’t have any one drop-spells and never drew either another Forest or one-drop spell.  I figured playing only 20 Forests and this would happen sooner or later… I just wished it would have happened later.

Round Three:  Taylor was my next ‘victim.’  He was playing a pretty classic G/R Aggro and I was just the person to give him one of his only two victories on the day.  Game one was good with no real surprises and I just got him with five lives left.  Game two was almost the same but with me up in life 4-2, he top decked a Bonfire and won it.  I still felt pretty good going into the 3^rd game… till for the second time on the day I paid a ‘lack of mana’ price.  He whooped me with his original 20 life still intact and the few creatures I was able to get out towards the end met their fate by his two flying Thundermaw Hellkites.  I knew at this point my goal of a winning record was slipping quickly.

Round Four:  This was undoubtedly the most fun I had playing on the day.  I was reunited with an old associate of mine named Ted (We had actually met once in 1980 at Hayward Field at UO for the Olympic Trials) and he was there playing a semi-homemade U/B control deck.  Game one was just a beat down with him crushing me with Black Suns, his life giving Pristine Talisman and a timely Consecrated Sphinx.  Fortunately, I was able to SB pretty good and games two and three weren’t all that close.  While it came against a fellow track buddy, I finally had win #1 and was on my way.

Round Five:  And at last my first Delver matchup.  I played a Portland State University Grad student named Ed.  His deck was very ‘standard’ and I felt my chances were still pretty good after losing game one to an early flip and his own Geist.  Game two was close but I got him with still eight life left.  Game three… well; I will give you a hint.  At the end of the game he had two Gut Shots, two Mana Leaks, all four Vapor Snags and a Snapcaster Mage (along with one on the field) in his graveyard.  So at this point, half-way through the tournament, I was just 1-4 and almost ready to call it a day.

I had about ten minutes for some serious contemplation.  I felt like my deck just wasn’t up to snuff.  Or maybe it was me and my lack of experience and skill? Still, I did have an original goal of a winning record and I didn’t have five losses yet; time to get my act together and make it happen.

Round Six:  While I didn’t get to play against Inka again (like I did in Phoenix), I did get to play against one of her other teammates Brent.  He was playing a mono-blue mill deck and the first game was long and pitiful.  This was the third and last time my deck decided to not supply any mana.  Once again, I had to mulligan but this time down to five.  I ended-up with just one Forest and by the time I got things rolling, I was only able to get him down to two life before he milled me.  Game two was more typical and I crushed him with all twenty life left… game three almost the same.  I had my second win and was still alive.

Round Seven:  I played Justin and his Delver deck.  I beat him in two games and to be honest, never felt threatened.  He didn’t really have a good grip on how to play his deck and actually was given a game warning by a judge for his erroneous play in game one.  In the second game, I could have called him for a game and match loss but he quit with me up 19-5 in life points.  I was now 3-4 and still had hope.

Round Eight:  In this round I can honestly say I played the scariest deck (as far as matchups) I saw all day.  Jonjonjalo was playing a U/W Midrange and I had virtually no answers.  The first game I learned a valuable lesson as far as the great disadvantage Predator Ooze offers when a Phantasmal Image is on the other side.  I can only say I was able to barely squeak out a win when I sacrificed two Rancors targeting his Images.  Game two I was barely able to sit down as I just couldn’t attack fast enough trying to get to all his life before he got the one blue mana he needed.  He never saw it and I got the win with nineteen lives left.  While I felt a little bad for his predicament, I had already been through something similar three times so I was happy it wasn’t me again.

Round Nine:  This round I played a mono-black control deck piloted by Luke.  While I was pretty much unfamiliar with this deck, Luke was a great player who said he began playing back in the Beta days.  We went to three games with him only getting going in game two.  I thoroughly enjoyed his deck and am really thinking of making one for the next FNM at Bad Moons.

Round Ten:  My record was now 5-4 and this game would decide it all for me and my primary goal for the tournament.  I met my opponent named Seth and his Primal Search deck.  To be honest, I have no clue what his deck was or was supposed to be.  I beat him in two games and lost a total of one life.  Apparently he had won five games of his own but against whom or how I am clueless.

Well, in conclusion, I finished 6-4 with a total of 18-points won and in 100^th place (a far cry better than my 12-points and 140^th place (out of 340) in the Phoenix Open).  While it was an extremely long day and at times very frustrating, I was pleased that I survived and met my goal.  I don’t know when my next try at a ‘major’ tournament will be, but I am certain I will be even that much more prepared… both magically and mentally.