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Tournament Report
Tobias Egelhof
Darmstadt, Vintage, 10.04.2010
3rd place


I tested the Watskeburt!? list various weeks and tried several modifications
(3rd Brain Freeze + Consultation, Tinker/Jar, Remand vs Spell Pierce, Tendrils
main, etc). Finally this is what I took to Darmstadt:


Watskeburt!? - Horden Style

3 Spell Pierce
4 Force of Will
3 Dark Confidant
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
2 Brain Freeze
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Frantic Search
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Mind's Desire
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Repeal
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
60

Sideboard
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Trygon Predator
1 Tropical Island
1 Forest
15


The latest modification was the addition of Dark Confidant to the maindeck to
improve the Stax matchup. Out went Thirst, Gush and Fact.
This was not tested, but I felt it was needed since we expected a lot of MUD
lists in Darmstadt.

Thanks a lot to Arjan and Marius, who gave some advice which I ignored partially
Smile and the long email discussions we had about some card choices.

The Darmstadt tournament was my last chance to get my hands on one or two byes
for the Bazaar of Moxen event. Due to family stuff I had to miss Hassloch which
was held two weeks before.

So finally the tournament started and we had a good attendance of 25 players,
with an amazing amount of 0 (zero) unpowered players. 5 rounds of swiss plus top
8.


1st round
Amadeus Kurz
UB Artifact Fish

Amadeus is someone I cannot beat in a tournament it seems. Well, I only faced
him two times in competitive environment, but I never felt like I could beat
him.
He just has every answer to what I do and beats me down quickly. I don't
remember being in a good position at any time during the match.
His deck is a funny mix version of UB Fish, full powered with Master of
Etherium, Esperzoa and Null Rod plus Mishra's Factories.
We go smoking after like 20 minutes and have some time to view what the others
play. A lot of Stax was spotted.

0:1:0


2nd round
Andreas Neumann
UR Landstill

I tested a lot with Andreas during the last weeks, so I know his list quite well
and don't feel too good about this matchup. But I know losing is not an option
anymore if I want to reach a top 8 seat. So I win Wink
First game I tinker for Jar and fire it off in my next upkeep. I manage to
gather some storm and Brain Freeze, which he stifles. I am not too sad about it
since I know the cards I get back to hand after the Jar turn: Yawgmoth's Will
and Desire.
I board in the man plan and beat him down quickly in the second.

1:1:0


3rd round
Alban Lauter
OathTezz

Long story short: I have Library of Alexandria in my opening hand both games
being on the draw. With a lot of card advantage I eventually win at some point.
Not very skillfull, but lucky. And this should not have been my last lucky match
this day.
Really sorry, Alban.

2:1:0


4th round
Patrick Hiness
Noble Fish

I mull to 5 on the play first game and have to keep a semi-powerful hand.
However, some good topdecks let me resolve Jar. I activate it next upkeep, play
some mana, Twister into a Desire with 14 storm. Game.
I board in the Inkwell and 2 Trygons.
Second game he dominates me Noble-style, I have no chance.
Third game I manage to Tinker the Inkwell and Vampiric into Time Walk.

3:1:0

I check the standing and happily find out that I can draw into top 8. But
pairings for round 5 tell me otherwise. My opponent has 6 points, and still a
chance to top 8 if he beats me, so I have to battle.


5th round
Edrion Gawarain
Red Stax

Edrion is upset about a judge decision from the previous round, and it seems he
is not fully concentrated on the match. This, plus awesome draws on my side make
this a quick win.
First game I start with Mox Jet, Mana Crypt, Black Lotus. He plays Workshop,
Mox, Chalice@2. EOT I Gifts for Academy, Petal, Rebuild and Mox Sapphire, get
Petal and the Mox. Also EOT Vampiric for Will. GG
Second game I have the men, and he sits on Mountain with Mox Ruby, doing
nothing.

4:1:0


Due to others IDing into top8 I finish 1st after swiss.


Quarterfinals
Ralf Natterer
UBG Drain Tendrils with Vault/Key and Confidants

1st game I mull to 5 and start with a crappy hand on the play. My Confidant is
destroyed and he gets one going, and even a second. Still, I somehow manage to
get a Jar onto the battlefield, and on the next upkeep, I fire it off getting...
not much. I can do some storm and finally Brainfreeze with 7 storm, which is not
enough to deck him. Good thing is, his Sensei's is milled away which he put on
top before, so he may die of his two confidants. He is at 14 life, takes his
turn and reveals: Darksteel Colossus and Fact or Fiction. Win (!).
Second game nothing comes my way and I get beat down by a Confidant until he has
Vault/Key going.
Third game he again has Confidant while I don't. I have Library and can use it a
while, but I don't draw colored mana, and have very few options therefore. From
Confidant Damage (revealing some low castingcost spells and Force of Will) he
gets down to 5 life, but hardcasts Colossus on his turn. I hold Chain of Vapor
and know he has Force, so my only chance is to cast CoV forcing him to force and
hope for a 4 cc spell to be revealed from Confidant. I do it, he forces and on
his turn reveals: Tendrils Razz

5:1:0

Well, you need some luck to win a tournament, and this is what I had right now.
I am one win away from a bye in Annecy.


Semifinals
Harald David
Noble Fish

My second Noble opponent this day. I don't fear Noble too much because it is not
a broken deck. And in most cases brokeness >>> not brokeness. After this very
intellectual piece of wisdom, I start the first game - and lose. My notes show
me two Forces on his side and some confidant damage on mine. I get beat down.
Second game I hardcast Inkwell and win. At some point in the match I draw Tinker
and wonder until I remeber how the Inkwell came into play, sorry, was put onto
the battlefield.
Third game don't really get into the game. Null Rod and Wastes keep me from
getting mana and a lonely Pridemages beats on me. With a second Null Rod on the
battlefield I need to Hurkyl's, so I start to prepare a broken turn. I play
Hurkyl's with 3 life, 3 lands and a Lotus in hand. He hardcasts Force, I
pitchcast Force (pitching Predator), play Lotus and Twister in hope of a broken
7. Unfortunately, luck left me the round before and I get nothing relevant and
concede.
Another player pointed out that I could have pitched anything else than the
Predator, played Tendrils instead of Twister for 10 life, play Predator next
turn and tried to go for a broken turn a few turns later. Yes, that would have
probably been a good alternative.

5:2:0


Well, I missed the byes by a single game, but my lucky matches have been
exhausted at that day, so I am not sad about it. The deck performed well and I
was happy with it, although I feel that the addition of Confidants need to cause
some more modifications maindeck. I cannot provide more insight on this now, but
will do some brainstorming the next time. Any comments are appreciated.