Erwin (Amstelveen) (138)

17-1-2012 23:23:00

By Erwin Sneek

After the immense succes at Grand Prix Amsterdam (see hier ) it finally was time for another big legacy tournament in the neighbourhood: The Legacy Amsterdam Open. With more than '1000,- price support and an awesome location (The Mercure Hotel Amsterdam aan de Amstel) this event was going to be huge! 93 players started this event, with 7 representatives from Team ADHD. (Balthasar, Erwin, Jan, Joost, Mattias, Merrin, Thomas)
Ofcourse, as always, the big question was which metagame we would expect. I was already settled on playing Sneek Attack, because I didn't have the time to test another deck. Mattias predicted that there was going to be a lot of Aggro decks and Stoneblade, based on the results of legacy tournaments in the last couple of weeks, so he and Merrin decided to play the full 4 Punishing Fire/Grove of the Burnwillows in their Stoneblade deck. His prediction made me play 4 Firespouts in my sideboard. Jan was going to play TES, without playtesting it, (see his report hier ), Balthasar was going for RUG Tempo thresh, Thomas was playing the little green men, and Joost had his own Bant Planeswalker creation, which was supposed to wreck aggro decks. Boy, were we wrong in our metagame call…
The morning before the tournament I decided that I might need a Triple of Trinispheres, in case other people, for some reason, wanted to play Tendrils combo. That probably was the best decision I made all day.
I played the same deck as I did at the GP, with one small change: I added a City of Traitors last moment instead of a Flooded Strand, so I could cast my Trinispheres more reliable on turn 1 or 2. That change was going to haunt me for the rest of the day.
This was the list I played after seeing a lot of players sleeving their Dark Rituals.

Maindeck: (60)
4 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Volcanic Island
4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
3 Progenitus
4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Intuition
4 Lotus Petal
3 Misdirection
4 Ponder
4 Show and Tell
4 Sneak Attack

Sideboard: (15 )
3 Echoing Truth
4 Firespout
3 Spell Pierce
3 Trinisphere
2 Vendilion Clique



So the Firespouts were against all the aggro deck we expected. Spell Pierce and Vendilion Clique were against control and combo, Trinispheres were against Combo, and Echoing Truths were against random cards like Ensnaring Bridge.

Round 1 vs TES
Game 1

We both mulligan to 6 cards and I choose to play first. Once I see my opponent playing a turn 1 Gemstone Mine into Gitaxian Probe + Ponder it's pretty obvious he's playing TES. He plays some Ponders which allow him to shuffle. I manage to resolve a turn 3 Sneak Attack and annihilate his 2 lands. He goes down to 3 life and I still have a Brainstorm in hand and a Force of Will, so things are looking good. He plays a City of Brass and goes to 1 in order to cast another Ponder. In my next turn I Brainstorm into shit, hitting 2 lands and another Brainstorm. If only that City of Traitors was a Flooded Strand, I could at least shuffle. I pass the turn. My opponent fetches an Underground Sea and casts another cantrip, going to 1 life. In my turn I cast my 2nd Brainstorm, hitting another Sneak Attack and some random worthless cards, knowing I'm not going to win in the next two turns. My opponent then crushes me with his infinite Burning Wishes into a lot of Goblins.

In: +3 Trinisphere, +3 Spell Pierce, +2 Vendilion Clique
Out: -3 Daze, -3 Misdirection, -1 Sneak Attack, -1 Progenitus

Game 2

I have the option of playing a turn 2 Show and Tell into Emrakul without protection, or a turn 2 Vendilion Clique. I choose to play the Clique in his end step, seeing this hand:
2x Rite of Flame, Dark Ritual, Burning Wish, Infernal Tutor, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Pyroblast. I'm starting to cry like a little girl, and I choose Lion’s Eye Diamond. On my turn I cast Show and Tell and play Emrakul, hoping he doesn't have the mana to combo off. Unfortunately he ripped another ritual and he crushes me with Ad Nauseam

0-2
0-1

Round 2 vs ANT
Game 1

I win the die-roll. I have no idea what my opponent is playing. I'm guessing some sort of combo, because he played a Preordain, but he had 2 basic Islands and a Tundra in play so I wasn't sure. Anyway, I annihilate him on my turn 4 and he scoops.

In: +3 Spell Pierce, +2 Vendilion Clique
Out: -2 Daze, -3 Misdirection

Game 2

He casts a turn 1 Thoughtseize, hitting my Progenitus. On his 3rd turn turn I cast Intuition but he has a Surgical Extraction ready. On my turn I still get to cast Show and Tell into Emradaddy with Lotus Petal Spell Pierce up. End of turn he Chain of Vapors my Petal however, and he finishes it.

In: +3 Trinisphere
Out: -1 Intuition, -1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, -1 Sneak Attack

Game 3

I get a turn 2 Show and Tell into Progenitus, en get in there for 10 on my next turn, leaving Vendilion Clique open. He tries to combo off, but in response to his LED, I Clique him. Seeing his hand, and realizing that if I had him resolve LED, I would have lost, I take away his Infernal Tutor. He draws a card, and casts Brainstorm, hitting no more business. His next card however would have been another tutor. Progenitus strikes two, and he's out!

2-1
1-1


Round 3 vs MUD
Game 1

I win the die-roll and I keep a hand which can cast a turn 3 Show and Tell into Emrakul. He goes turn 1 Ancient Tomb into Lightning Greaves. Jan lost to a MUD deck round 1, so this was probably the same deck. I play Ancient Tomb, go, and he casts a Phyrexian Revoker. I response by activating my fetch, and let it resolve. He called for Sneak Attack. Luckily I already had Show and Tell in my hand, but things were looking grim. I knew he played Duplicant and Kuldotha Forgemaster, so Show and Tell was a reliability. Anyway, I cast Intuition in his end step, searching for Emradaddy, and in my turn I cast Show and Tell. He puts a Myr Battlesphere onto the battlefield. Nothing I can't race yet. On his turn however, he casts the Forgemaster, equips it with Lightning Greaves, and sacrifices 3 Myr tokens. A 15/15 hasty Duplicant can tell you the rest of the story.

In: +3 Echoing Truth
Out: -3 Misdirection

Game 2
He casts a turn 1 Phyrexian Revoker on Sneak Attack. I cast a turn 2 Show and Tell into Progenitus. He puts a Phyrexian Metamorph in play. I explain to him that he can't use it to copy Progenitus, and we call for a judge so he can confirm it. I tell the judge that I told my opponent that he couldn't copy Progenitus, before he tried to, so he did not get a warning. Cheers! He tries to resolve a Metalworker, but I counter it with a Daze. Two Strikes, he's out!

Game 3
I resolve a turn 2 Show and Tell via Lotus Petal, and he calls for a judge to ask something. I'm thinking he might have Duplicant or Spine of Ish Sah, but my only creature was Progenitus so it didn't matter a lot. Indeed, he has Spine of Ish Sah, and he kills my Island. I still had Force of Will and Daze back-up to counter his Kuldotha Forgemaster and Wurmcoil Engine, and it was good game.

2-1
2-1

Round 4 Esper blade, by Kasper Euser
Game 1

I knew Kasper was playing Esper blade, with lots of discard and Snapcaster Mages. This was a pretty horrible match-up. He wins the die-roll, and mulligans to 6. He casts some Ponders and Brainstorms, but they fail, since he doesn't hit a fetchland. I resolve a turn 2 Show and Tell into Progenitus and he scoops.

Now came the tricky part, because I had to battle my way through lots of discard spells and Surgical Extractions.

In: +3 Spell Pierce, +2 Vendilion Clique
Out: 1 Intuition, 3 Daze, 1 Show and Tell

Game 2
I have to mulligan because my only land was a City of Traitors. If it would have been a Flooded Strand, it was a great hand, with Misdirection, Ponder, and combo pieces.
I mulligan to a decent 6, with Progenitus, Show and Tell, Force of Will, Daze and lands. He casts a turn 1 Thoughtseize, followed soon by another Thoughtseize. The game is pretty much over when he Cliques me and I scoop.

Game 3
Kasper is short of land for quite some time, but he has enough business. I get beat down by a Snapcaster Mage. I had Vendilion Clique, but Once it started carrying a Sword of Fire and ice the game was pretty much over. When I tell him I still have one out, he shows me his 6 blue card triple FoW hand. Still had all these… Good Games Kasper!

1-2
2-2

Out of contention for top 8. Ah well, It was still possible for me to go top 16 and I was having fun.

Round 5 vs Reanimator
Game 1

He wins the die-roll and starts off by showing me a Chancellor of the Spires and a Chancellor of the Annex. I thought he might be playing Hypergenesis or something, but when he went Island into Careful Study everything became clear.
On my turn 1 cast Island into Lotus Petal, paying 1 extra. He reanimates his white Chancellor, and is at 13. On my turn a play City of Traitors and cast Show and Tell, putting a Progenitus into play. He has noting, and beats me down to 14, casting Animate Dead on his blue Chancellor. I was still winning the race. Two strikes, he's out!

In: +3 Echoing Truth, +3 Spell Pierce
Out: -3 Misdirection, -3 Daze

I have total control this game. I have like 3 counterspells and 2 Echoing Truth, so I take my time on resolving a Sneak Attack, while he is color screwed. I Annihilate him, counter something, draw a 2nd fattie, and win. We have a little chat about our decks. He tells me he made his deck the evening before the tournament, and that he didn't have any Iona's or Jin-Gitaxias, but that he was having fun playing the deck. In the end, that's what really matters. He asks me about my decklist as well, and I show it to him. Up to the next round!

2-0
3-2

Round 6 vs Doomsday, by Abel Planting.
Game 1

Abel is one of Hollands best combo players, so I knew I had to be careful. Especially when playing against a deck like Doomsday, which can be extremely powerful in the hands of a very good player. Although I have to say I would have been more worried if he was playing TES, or TNT, because those decks are faster then Doomsday.
Abel wins the die-roll and mulligans to 6. I get a turn 2 Emrakul via Show and Tell. I Counter his Doomsday and we go to game 2.

In: +3 Trinisphere, +3 Spell Piercel, +2 Vendilion Clique
Out: -3 Misdirection, -3 Daze, -1 Progenitus, -1 Sneak Attack

Abel has an active Sensei’s Divining Top, which takes a lot of time. I have a lot of mana issues. We both play some cantrips, and at one point I try to go off with a Sneak Attack He chants me in response to my fetchland, so I Force it. He then counters Sneak Attack with Pact of Negation. I only have 2 Emrakuls and a Spell Pierce in hand, and 1 Lotus Petal on the board. Abel only had 4 land in play, so he must have a Dark Ritual. However, I had nothing. If Sneak Attack would be countered he would have had plenty of time to find his combo pieces. I decide to sac Lotus Petal and Counter his Pact, making the biggest misplay of the day. I pass the turn and lose to Doomsday. He then tells me I just should have countered Dark Ritual with Spell Pierce, so he couldn't pay for the Pact. Duh…

Game 3
I have a hand with some counterspells and double Vendilion Clique. At one point I clique him and remove a Doomsday, facing a hand containing Pact of Negation, Ponder, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Silence, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Good sideboard tech sir!
I get in with clique for 2 turns, putting him on 12 life. On his turn, time is called. He does some Topping and fetching and Pondering. In his end step I cast Intuition for 3 Trinispheres. First extra turn: He upkeep Silences me. I let it resolve, attack him to 9, and pass the turn. In his turn he tries to go off with Doomsday. I have a hand containing Show and Tell, Spell Pierce, Force of Will, Vendilion Clique, land, Trinisphere. There was no way he could beat all my counterspells+clique, but if I cast Clique, there was hardly any possible way for me to win in my two remaining turns. I let his Doomsday resolve. I Spell Pierce something. He activates Top to draw a card. He had LED in play and 3 mana open. He casts Ideas Unbound. I know he had Pact of Negation, so I had to cast my 2nd Clique to get rid of that. I countered his draw, and his storm fizzled.
Oké, I had 2 remaining turns, I had 4 land in play, 1 in hand, and a dead card. I could win if I drew exactly the 2 cards I needed: Brainstorm into fatso + Show and Tell or Intuition/fatso, and then Sneak Attack in my last extra turn. I could even draw a Fatso on my 3rd extra turn and a Brainstorm in my 5th, hitting, Sneak Attack+Lotus Petal/Ancient Tomb. All I had to do was going runner-runner. What could possibly go wrong? =D
I Drew my card for my 3rd extra turn, and looked at it: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Knowing that the Brainstorm out wasn't really an out, I still had 2 copies of Sneak Attack I could draw next turn. I pass the turn, and Abel Tendrils of Agonyed me without storm. He said that it would be a draw then, by I show him the Emrakul in my hand and tell him I still have an out in Sneak Attack. In the meantime we were already 20+ minutes in extra time, so there were like 20+ people around us. To make things more dramatically, I slow-roll my draw, placing it in front of me face down. I call for Sneak Attack, I slam the card open, and I see a red card with a sleeping dragon in front of me.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!! Unbelievable…I don't think that Gabriel Nassif could have done it any better (hier )
Props to Abel for the fantastic match. This will be something I will remember for a long, long time!

2-1
4-2

Round 7 vs Imperial Painer
Game 1

My opponent wins the die-roll, and starts off with Goblin Welder. I play a land and do nothing. My opponent then tries to resolve a Gamble. I FoW it, but he has the Pyroblast ready. He randomly discards his Wurmcoil Engine, while still having 2 other cards in hands. I play another land and pass. He brings back Wurmcoil Engine, and hits me for 6. I cast Sneak Attack, Emrakul his board, leaving him with just 2 tokens. I still had a Brainstorm. All I had to do was finding another Emrakul. He hits me for 6, putting me down to 4. I Brainstorm into City of Traitors + Ponder. If only the City was a Flooded Strand.. My Ponder also draws nothing, so it's GG and time for game 2.

In: +3 Echoing Truth
Out: -3 Misdirection

Game 2

I try to Daze something, but he has Simian Spirit Guide. On my next turn I go for it and cast turn 2 Ancient Tomb, Lotus Petal, Show and Tell into Emrakul. GG.

In: +4 Firespout
Out: -3 Daze, -1 Progenitus

Game 3

He has a turn 2 Blood Moon, but luckily I have a fetchland which finds me a basic Island. I have Echoing Truth, Show and Tell, Emrakul, Force of Will in hand, so I wait a few turns until I draw another blue card and I go off with Show and Tell, since he has no pressure. He then puts Ensnaring Bridge onto the battlefield. Luckily I have Echoing Truth with Force of Will back-up. I annihilate him.

2-1
5-2

So I won my last round 2-1 against a deck that has a 5% chance to beat me. That was to close!

Jan was the only other ADHD member who was 5-2, but because he had terrible tiebreakers, he probably became back to back 17th. (just like in the standard open the day before). I Played some T4 with friends of mine, and we waited for the results. I got top 16 with a 14th place, and Jan got 17th, just as we predicted.
Another top 16 at a large event in Amsterdam for me!
Props:
- Again putting up good results with Sneek Attack
- Again being the highest ranked ADHD'er
- Jan for going 17th place twice in a row. Nice job sir..
- Jelmer for lending me his City of Traitors last minute. Thanks!
- Teun and the judge staff, for an amazing tournament at an amazing location.
- Me getting official brag-rights for having the best topdeck skills.
- Me being the moral victor because of insane topdeck skills.
- Insane topdeck skills
- All the players for yet another successful, and sociable tournament
- My team members for being awesome
- Props to Abel Planting for one of the most epic matches I have ever played!

Slobs
- Jelmer for lending me his jinxed City of Traitors
- Jan for missing top 16 twice in a row on tiebreakers
- The miscall on the metagame by our team
- Epicly failing in the 2HG sealed with the best pool in existence
- The lack of sleep
- Getting a warning because of the jinxed City of Traitors!
- Thomas for not playing with my goblins. Instead he used ugly non-foils..
- Playing 4 Firespouts in my sideboard, which were totally unnecessary

See you next time!