It was two weekends ago, but GP Utretch was one of the best Magic The Gathering tournaments I ever went to and I wanted to talk about it.
Firstly a few things to say:
I don’t post much…or at all. I don’t know if this will be a one time thing or something I do every so often. Who knows?
This post is about my experience at the largest European Magic The Gathering tournament ever, if you have no interest in Magic, 95% of what I say will probably go over your head.
If you were at the tournament, or the one in Chiba or Vegas, I’d love to hear your experience.
Okay! Let’s start this!
Because Utretch was the only GP in Europe that would be using Modern Masters 2, I had decided I was going months and months ago. Before I knew any of the cards that would be in it, I was still going. It helped when I won a GP Trail and got two byes for the tournament.
I arrived in Schiphol, and man…Netherlands is cool. It’s just a cool cool place. Everyone is trendy. Everything is cool. They have two-storey trains. This might not be a big deal for most people, but for me in Ireland, that’s crazy. So much that I took a photo.
Haha. I am above you all, peasants! Also, I didn’t take any picture of the beautiful Dutch countryside.
So I arrive at the tournament centre. Make sure I’m all ready. Sign up for a draft, build R/W doublestrike, and get beaten and knocked out first round. Ah well, main event starts tomorrow.
Go back to the Air B&B I’m staying in, (very nice people), and go to sleep so I’m all ready for the matches in the morning.
DAY 1
That’s ominous.
Yeah, so the foreboding clouds notwithstanding, I arrive a little after 9 and I’m all set. Unfortunately I was expecting a bit of a delay and waiting to start at around 9.30. Well turns out the Dutch like things running on time and I almost miss opening my sealed pool. How lame would that have been!
After a quick talk with a judge, about how could I please sit down in my seat and open six booster packs pretty pretty please I’m sorry I’m late pleeeeease, I was ready to crack some packs!
The packs I opened were pretty good. There was half a great Artefact deck, and a pretty good Black Green sacrifice deck that I ended up passing to the person opposite me. I myself got no money rares, (well a Layline of Sanctity) but a pretty cool R/W Double-Strike deck.
Splashing Blue let me play Muldrifer and Electrolize, while making Tribal Flames a bit better too. The splash was a bit hindered by Noblis of War but it barely came up.
I was a bit wary building the deck as it was similar to the one I lost with in yesterday’s draft. But I put my doubts aside because I was able to play three nearly bombs, (Mirran Crusader, Noblis of War and Mirror Entity). I say nearly bombs, because they don’t win the turn you play them…but if they are not dealt with very soon they will beat my opponent to a quick death.
Fairly happy with how the deck looked I relaxed at deck building was finishing. I knew I had two byes and I was going to make good use of the time. I hadn’t had breakfast and I was looking forward to some food. It was going to be a long day.
Round 1: Michael (RG spashing White)
Wait what!? Eamonn! I thought you were supposed to have two byes! What happened?!
Well…I don’t know exactly. I was relaxing when they announced who would be on the feature match area, and then my name was called. Panicked, I rushed over to the judges and explained that I was supposed to have two byes, but according to them I didn’t.
I rushed over to the feature match, confused and annoyed but also let’s face it a bit happy that I was at the feature match.
A mix of emotions.
Unfortunately I was one of the back up matches and was never actually on camera. Ah well.
Game 1:
My opponent Michael mulliganed and kept a six. We both had pretty similar decks, and we both led with turn 2 Raise the Alarm which he followed with a Kozilek’s Predator. My Mirran Crusader was promptly Burst Lightning -ed. He then dropped a Precursor Golem, which I luckily had Terashi’s Grasp, gaining a nice 5 life.
I dropped Nearly Bomb number 2,
He didn’t draw a flyer, and a few attacks with the Avatar and a kicked Burst Lightning finished him off.
Game 2:
My opponent led with a Nest Invader, and quickly followed with Turn Four Precursor Golem. I messed up my land drops and ended up not having enough Mountains to Land Cycle for an Island and Tribal flames his Golems, meaning I took 9 and then another few chump blocks later I was dead.
Game 3:
He muliganed, and I played Mirran Crusader on Turn Four, leaving one mana up for Apostle’s Blessing, which I used to save it from a burst lighting. He played two Viashino Slaughtrermaster which I was able to kill with an Electrolyze clearing away both blocker at end of turn.
Turn Five I dropped a Noblis and attacked with my 4/2 doublestrike. He conceded the next turn.
Result: 2:1, 1:0
Good games, which I shouldn’t have played in the first place. But happy to have won it. Now to talk to a judge about getting my second round bye back!
Round 2: Thomas (R/W)
So…no luck with getting that bye…better just win the match I suppose.
Game 1:
My opponent led with a Viashino Slaughtermaster which I decided not to burst lighting…which proved to be a bad call. He dropped a Turn 3 Blood Ogre getting the Bloodthirst trigger. He kept those creatures for the whole game and although I was able to arrest the Ogre and drop the Mirran Crusader, but my doublestriker had a Fall that was firery and a Darksteel Axe welding Slaughtermaster finished me off.
Game 2:
Killed his creatures, not letting him get his Bloodthirst trigger, and attacking with Raise the Alarm tokens meant my opponent had to drop a 2/2 Ogre. I played a Noblis of War which was quickly Arrest -ed. I drew Oblivion Ring and hit in the air for five, the Ogre keeping my tokens back. The turn after, I attacked with my Noblis again with the 3/1 soliders, he blocked one and killed my Noblis, meaning I lost a token to deal one damage. I played a Boros Swiftblade and passed. My opponent played a Slaughtermaster and passed. I was hoping I would topdeck nearly bomb #1, Mirror Entity but missed and had to pass back.
My opponent tapped 7 mana and dropped his bomb.
“I’m a fair and fun Magic Card.” “Shut up Elesh, you’re drunk!”
Result: 0-2, 1-1.
His deck was good and I made a couple of questionably plays. The good thing was it finished quick enough so I could have my actual breakfast finally.
Oh breakfast, you wouldn’t promise me byes and then take them away from me.
Round 3: Michele (UW Artefacts)
A suprise for Game 3 was that I knew my opponent, I had played him many times back in Dublin. This was kinda cool, but kinda crappy as well as we knew that we couldn’t both win.
Round: 1
I led with Flayer Husk and followed it up with a Mirror Entity, which was very quickly dismembered.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
I played Hearthfire Hobgoblin which did a good bit of damage. Michele played a Trumming Bird I and was able to play Muldrifer and Spectral Procession. The race in the air suddenly lost it’s urgency when I Ulamog’s Crusher hit the battlefield. I soaked up some damage with a Raise the Alarm and lost some land to Allnilator Triggers but was able to keep attacking in the air and steal the game.
Game 2:
A Boros Swiftblade and Raise the Alarm suddenly were met with a Tezzeret, pulling out Artefact creatures. But luckily Doublestrike and tokens work well with Noblis of War. Michele took a large amount of damage from the Swfitblade and had to trade with the 3/1 soldiers. Another attack brought to 3 life. But he stabilized and played a flying blocker for my Noblis.
I drew a Tribal flames and spend way to long deciding whether or not to kill his flying blocker or Tezzeret…I remind you…he was on three life.
I aimed the spell at his face and won the match.
Result: 2-0, 2-1.
That was the first part of my Utretch GP. The next 6 games will be up whenever I get another few hours. In the meantime here’s a picture of the cat that I was living with in Netherlands.
Aww.
Smameann silly ramblings 