FNM Report! (Sept 09 / 2011)

First, I didn’t end up making it to the Super Niagara Weekend.  I was able to procure a ride (thanks to the great Raymond Li) last minute, but by then I’d already made other plans that I didn’t want to break. In the end those “other plans” ended up being eating and sleeping, but ANY time with my Girlfriend is a goodtime, so I’m not disappointed. :)

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I played my RUG Twin deck again this past weekend to a 4-1-1 finish @ L.A. Mood.

You can read about the deck here:

(T)Winning with RUG

We had 38 people in attendance, so it was a 3x Planeswalker Point event due to participation!

You can read about how Planeswalker Points work here:

Planeswalker Points and the Death of the DCI

So my 4-1-1 record earned me:

12 (4x 3 for wins)

1 (1x 1 for tie)

0 (1x 0 for loss)

3 (Participation Points for > 32 people)

= 16 x3 (Event multiplier = FNM)

= 48!

How many Planeswalker Points did YOU earn?

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*Note: I’m going to try and update a little better but can’t seem to find my match notes for this latest FNM. Soooo I don’t have many names / details, but I’ll provide the data as it’s found…*

Round 1: Randy Scheffield – Cawblade

Randy is the ultimate competitor and wins a good portion of the FNM’s, so I was worried when I had to face him round 1! He seemed to be playing a standard Caw with main deck Mirran Crusader which was pretty hot vs. my mostly green team. I mulled game 1 and lost. He mulled game 2 and lost. Game 3 he had the T2 Squad Hawk into T3 Mirran Crusader. I Arc Trailed both his guys! He played a few more dorks but I managed to resolve an Inferno Titan to wipe his board. He Into the Roiled it once, but didn’t have a counter for it when it got replayed and it did what Titans do. “No Hero of Bladeholm?” I ask him after the matches. “No, I don’t like him.” “O I C…”

1-0 / 2-1

Round 2: Unknown – Cawblade

Strictly a stock Cawblade list w / Blade Splicer and Emeria Angel (over Hero). He won game 1 on the back of bladed Hawks and I won game 2 with Splinter Twin combo when he tapped out to play a hawk. Our games were taking a while, so we ended up drawing in game 3. Interesting to note that I remember this player from when he first started and he has MUCH improved since then! “No Hero of Bladeholm?” I ask Caw player #2. “Nope”.

1-0-1 / 3-2-1

Round 3: Chris Tomelin – Venser Proliferate

We started playing and the first thing I saw out of him was a Celestial Collonade. “Caw blade a third time in a row… really? REALLY??” Chris just kinda smiled and said: “Would I ever play Caw?”… and he wasn’t! This was a really fun match, as it was different and didn’t feel like the same old battle replayed against a different opponent. I won game 1 on his keep of only Island + Preordain into no lands until he died. Game 2 he won on the back of Venser going ultimate after keeping my board under control with Contagion Clasps. Game 3 was tight, but I managed to get there with Vengevines and Garruk. Chris ended up coming in second and I was his only loss!

2-0-1 / 5-3-1

Round 4: Jerry Masse – Puresteel Paladin (Voltron)

LOVE this deck, and thinking about sleeving it up for next week w / a few modifications :). Game 1 Jerry gets a T2 Paladin on the play and draws so many cards that I can’t keep up! He’s able to Dispatch my Vengevine and just gets in with Squad Hawks and germs until I die. Game 2 I’m laying the beat down and just as he’s about to stabilize he mutters: “And now I’ll bet you’ve got a Creeping Corrosion for me, right? Lol.” “Actually, yes!” I reply as I wipe his board of all save a Puresteel Paladin and crush him with my team. He *face palms*. We were the last match still playing, so a group of people had started to crowd around us to watch the game. We basically STARTED in the 5 turn rule, with me having Turn 1. I play birds, he plays something and passes. I drop an island and pass, he plays another artifact and passes with one plains up. “EoT Exarch to tap your plains and Twin on my turn?” “Are you kidding me?? TURN 3?? I HATE THE COMBO!!” he muses extending his hand. The crowd explodes in cheers for our hero! Close games Jerry! :P

3-0-1 / 7-4-1

Round 5: Mark Connelon (The Ancient Hellkite) – Tempered Steel

After he beat me last week in the finals, I was hoping for a rematch! Game 1 he has the nuts draw and drops Memnite + Vault Skirge T1, more pressure T2, Tempered Steel T3, threatening to win T4. My hand is GARBAGE and all I can do to stop his onslaught is tap down a Porcelain Legionnaire with a flashed in Exarch on his attack phase. “Do you have it?” He asks, referring to the combo. “I’ve got NOTHING.” I say entering my draw phase. “Actually, I just won, lol.” I had drawn a Splinter Twin which was my only out! The Hellkite raged and fumed for a bit about how lucky I was and how cheap the combo is etc etc etc. I loved it!! Game 2 he’s on the play with a Skirge, and follows up with a T2 Porcelain Legionnaire. I Arc Trail both his guys and his rage meter is nearing the limit! I’m basically playing control at this point because my board is empty and my hand is full. He plays a Tempered Steel T3 and I drop a Seagate Oracle. T4 he EXPLODES with: Memnite, Skirge & Legionnaire. “Try and Arc Trail THAT!” he quips. Creeping Corrosion acts as my witty retort, and if he were Bruce Banner, he’d have been hulking out! Suffice to say I won that game.

4-0-1 / 9-4-1

 Round 6: Unknown – Tempered Steel

It was my first time ever seeing this player, and he’s made it to the finals. I had the fear in me! Then I saw his deck… WTF? I REALLY wish I’d taken a picture, and I’ll try and snap one for next week, but his unsleeved deck was (no exaggeration) in the WORST SHAPE of ANY deck I HAVE EVER SEEN in all my 15 years in the game! He stated that he’d broken a sleeve and didn’t have any extras so just started playing without. He started riffle shuffling. He was doing it HARD. He presented his deck and it was literally shaped like a “V”. Yes, it was THAT warped! He told me he was playing Tempered Steel. “No WAY he’s running Mox Opal” I thought to myself, figuring it must be a budget deck because who would bend a playset of Mox that way? Nope. They were all in there. I got thoroughly beatdown game 1 when he was on the play. I was once again in awe of his between game shuffling, and could almost hear his cards screaming in agony. I kept a hand of 3x Lotus Cobra, Forest, Misty Rainforest, Exarch, Splinter Twin on the play. Not bad, I’ll try it out! He leads w / Ornithopter and friends while I play Cobra… Cobra… Cobra… and never draw a third land to activate ANY of them. GG new guy, I’ll get you next time!

4-1-1 / 9-6-1

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I think I came in 3^rd or 4^th, not really sure which one. Whatevs!

It was interesting to hear peoples opinions on Planeswalker Points at the tournament. People like myself and Randy didn’t have a very high opinion of it. In fact, after Randy lost to me round 1 he said: “I really don’t even care anymore…” Many of the more casual players love it, however, and I could hear them happily chattering about their Planeswalker Points and how they hoped to level up soon.

If Planeswalker Points were the catalyst responsible for 38 person FNMs… I can’t say that I’m a hater of them anymore! :)

I’m looking forward to next week and going to try and make a mental note to take some pictures this time.

How did YOU do at FNM last week and what deck did YOU play?

Cheers,

Carl Szalich

(Also, a request: If anyone has ANY pictures from the Magic Appreciation weekend, forward them to me!)