Introduction
Hi there! For those I have yet to meet my name is Mark Rossetti. I have been playing Magic since Worldwake and during my first Pre-Release, I decided not to play with this fancy Jace, the Mind Sculptor I had opened. If I had my way, all events would be Modern. My accomplishment in Magic is that I have lost more win-and-ins than anyone I know. I haven’t put in the time to playtest and improving my skills but these articles going forward will show the work put into getting better and hopefully adding to the list of accomplishments.
These articles will chronicle the average player’s struggles towards getting a Pro Tour invite. While that’s my personal goal, hopefully you can take the information and apply it to your own, even if that’s just winning your FNM, Win-a-Box or any other event you have your eyes set on. With that said, let’s start our journey…
EVENT: PTQ RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA 3/8/14
This past weekend I found myself in California for a 200+ player PTQ. It was a well run tournament with minimal down time between rounds. They included a free meal from a sandwich shop that was set up inside the venue. I almost didn’t go to the tournament until a group of friends showed up to an FNM that didn’t happen. We took off at about 4am, which in retrospect may not have been a good idea, since we tried functioning at a high level event with little to no sleep. I immediately felt the repercussions of my actions and will not take this approach again.
After a 3-1 start I bottomed out and dropped at 3-4. Mono Black was well represented and made up 5 of the Top 8 decks along with R/G Monsters, Esper Control and Esper lapping brew. Trip was worthwhile since we did have Alex Lapping from our group make Top 8 (also the Cannoli’s). After dropping, I took on a coach role in helping Alex through checking percentages on draws, deck organization (his cards tend to be in 100 different directions) to present to judges before Top 8 and convincing him to use pen and paper over 2 dice to keep life totals. Multiple times I saw players using dice and ending up in life discrepancies in which the judge always sided with the person using pen and paper.
THE DECK: R/G Monsters
It’s your standard R/G monsters list with 1 change. i have removed 1 Domri Rade and added a Nylea, God of the Hunt main. I found myself in a lot of situations where I really wanted a trample effect. That, plus the ability to pump and not have to over commit to the board sold me on her. I don’t know if this change is correct but in theory it seemed good. Here is what I ended up battling with…
I’m not going to get into sideboarding plans since a lot of pros have written articles about this deck over the last month. I strongly considered jumping ship and splashing black. The games I played with Jund left me wanting in regards to the manabase. I think you have to play what you know and not always whatever the new hype is. I’m also not convinced you should run Mutavault in 3 color decks. In the end there just wasn’t enough time to get me onto Jund.
Round 1 U/B Control 2-1
G1 I found myself paired against a U/B Control Homebrew. Game one I couldn’t get out from under an Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Desecration Demon protected with removal. I had an active Xenagos, The Reveler out but having to always sacrifice to the Desecration Demon and Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver on a constant +2, I was gaining no ground. Eventually a second Demon came down and i couldn’t kill either.
G2 mulligan to five but I am able to curve out perfectly with t1 Elf, t2 Domri Rade and never missing off a Domri +1 activation and hitting all my land drops on time. Turn 3 Polukranos, World Eater and turn 4 Stormbreath Dragon made this a short game.
G3 another quick start but stifled with removal this time. I draw into both of my Plummets containing his Desecration Demons this time around. My notes show a sequence of Xenagos God of Revels into Nylea God of the Hunt into Ruric Thar, the Unbowed which led to a quick handshake. Felt good to get out of this match still awake. I cannot emphasize enough how important sleep is before a tournament.
Round 2 Naya Control 0-2
I spent most of Game 1 struggling to gain any ground after having both Polukranos ,World Eater Chained to the Rocks and the opponent having an active chandra on board. I never see a Stormbreath Dragon and the game ends quickly after the opponent resolves an Angel of Serenity.
G2 an early Chandra Pyromaster and the same Chained to the Rocks keep me off my aggressive creatures while Brimaz, King of Oreskos and a Scavenging Ooze make quick work of me. I was unprepared for this deck and wasn’t sure what to expect from his deck either game. Bad preparation on my part.
Round 3 U/W control 2-0
G1 Didn’t keep detailed notes on this one due to trying to play fast and cause mistakes. I was able to get my opponent to commit his removal to one large creature at a time. Able to sneak a Stormbreath Dragon in with double Ghor-Clan Rampager for lethal.
G2 opponent mulligans to 3 and I keep on 7. I played a couple creatures he never played a second land. Can’t complain about a free win.
Round 4 U/W Devotion 2-1
G1 Opponent plays the usual Cloudfin Raptor/Judges Familiars which I gun down with Polukranos, World Eater’s monstrous ability. Opponent is never able to stick anything that can profit against the 7/7 Polukranos and I easily take game one.
G2 I see a couple of my Stormbreath Dragons turn into domesticated frog lizards. An active Thassa, God of the Sea and some unblockable creatures make quick work of me.
G3 i keep a hand of 2 lands 3 ramp guys and 2 Polukranos. I’m able to keep his Thassa offline and continue to draw threats and he can’t answer them fast enough. The Polukranos kill both Master of Waves he resolves. He is never able to apply any pressure after that and quickly runs out of chump blockers and scoops em up.
Rounds 5-7 Mono Black Devotion
These matches all play out similarly so I’ll lump them together. Opponents have a perfect mix of removal and Desecration Demons which is very hard for me to remove. Without Plummet there are not a lot of ways to take care of them. I’m actually considering putting 2 Act of Treason in the board. Looking back, I feel that there were multiple occasions I could have stolen a demon that I had pumped up and swung their own creature back at them for lethal. These games felt closer than they actually were and knowing that my friend is undefeated keeps me from getting to down about the outcome. I know I didn’t put enough time into getting ready for this tournament.
BONUS REPORT!
Alex Lapping is known as a local AZ Brewer and was the leading innovator on Legacy Wizards and Manaless Dredge. Here is his PTQ top 8 list:
| Creature (13) 2 AEtherling 4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos 3 Keening Apparition 4 Lyev Skyknight Spells (20) 4 Supreme Verdict 4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion 4 Jace, Architect of Thought 4 Detention Sphere 4 Whip of Erebos Land (27) 2 Godless Shrine 4 Hallowed Fountain 1 Mutavault 4 Plains 4 Temple of Deceit 4 Temple of Enlightenment 4 Temple of Silence 4 Watery Grave | Sideboard (15) 2 AEtherling 4 Doom Blade 1 Hero’s Downfall 1 Pithing Needle 3 Revoke Existence 4 Sin Collector |
If you’re anything like me, you’re going to see multiple card choices followed by grabbing onto your head before the explosion. This deck has now won a Game Day, a Grand Prix Trial, and put Alex into the Top 8 of a 200+ player PTQ. After a round 2 draw ,Alex never dropped a match and was able to draw into Top 8. He needed a breather so I offered to help organize his cards to present to the judges before Top 8 started. I had to have him double check since I can think of multiple main deck cards that I wanted to put with his sideboard. He ended up losing in his first match of Top 8 to Esper Control (the one match of the day he actually uses pen and paper). Overall the trip was great and the tournament was fun. Next time I’ll be more prepared and plan accordingly.