Early Match Report: Matches 1 to 6

Hello and welcome to the blog about our EDH and other MTG adventures. I'm not much on introductions so here we go.

Here's an update on the first two days of the EDH. I wish there were more to say but alas we didn't keep many notes.

Match 1: Thrun (MGR) v Vela (QSP): 2 - 0

I don't remember much except that Vela was trounced.

Match 2: Vela (MGR) v Daxos (QSP): 1 - 2

Interesting side story here: So most people roll a d6 or d20 to decide who goes first. But inevitably you'll come into the scenario that you both roll the same number multiple times in a row and must re-roll. Now the easy solution for minimal rolls is to call odds or even and thus only need one roll. But! We are gamers and this must be taken as an opportunity to play a pre-game mini game! So every chance I get, I try to up the ante by adding another d6 to the roll. My quest (beyond finding the ultimate surf and my hippo buddies) is to get to 10 d6 rolls. The most I've gotten was during this match @ 3 dice. I've heard that MGR got to 5 dice once but that's one of those I'll believe it when I see it deals.

The match itself revealed that Vela might currently be dealing too little damage to end games quickly. She might need more card draw or answers. However, she did put up some defense against the mighty shirtless Daxos of Meletis and shows hope.

Match 3: Rhys (MGR) v Vela (QSP): 2 - 0

Again I don't remember much from the match except that Vela's many edicts were no match for the token master Rhys the Redeemed.

Match 4: Daxos (MGR) v Thrun (QSP): 2 - 1

This match resulted in one of the more memorable Game 3s. Thrun was applying good early pressure with his hexproofing regen ways before Daxos could amount a strong defense/offense. Daxos was on 5 lands and a Mind Stone and my victory seemed all but guaranteed when I was able to draw and activate Mindslaver into the following hand: Gush, Hinder, Jace Beleren, Hallowed Burial, and two lands. Wonderful I thought! Mindslaver hit before the Hallowed Burial was able to. So I Gush via alternate cost of returning two lands and hit it with Hinder to set MGR two lands back and quite a bit of tempo. However I then cast Jace targeting me with his card draw since Thrun was running low on gas and passed the turn back to myself to swing for some more Thrun general damage.

It's at this point that I realized my critical error: I left him on 3 lands and a Mind Stone. Enough to Hallowed Burial! If I had gone for the smarter play and cracked the Mind Stone rather than the greedy Jace draw play it would have bought just enough time for one last lethal swing. Alas, this was a mental misstep and he successfully casts the tuck wrath and I draw blanks. Then lose it all. What a game!

...Oh and at one point to add insult to injury when I try to drop a defender against Daxos, it got Gather Specimen'd. GG.

Match 5: Rafiq (MGR) v Daxos (QSP): 1 - 2

I won Game 1 but we had to put the match on hold for other responsibilities. Six days later we met again to continue the match between these two titans. The result? A strong Game 2 win by Rafiq into what we have considered the "Stupidest Game 3 Ever". We both had strong starts with solid threats and similarly solid answers. A few wraths and tuck spells later, we both lost our generals and were down to low life totals. Although I had Sword of Light and Shadow for the evasion against Rafiq's white creatures, I couldn't get through due to pesky blockers and a Maze of Ith. So we stalled while we both drew lands or other non-answer spells.

Eventually MGR drops a Body Double whose best target is a Mulldrifter in my graveyard. Now I couldn't have that and, in true Daxos fashion, respond with Gather Specimens to have my own Mulldrifter copy. I draw into Deadeye Navigator at some point and from there divinate for 2 cards and two mana multiple times a turn to try and draw into a finisher. I'm eventually rewarded with an unanswered Cataclysm and enough lands in hand to guarantee a nice recovery and win it. What made this such a hilariously bad game were our non-land draws which were giving us more mana or things like Mana Leak when each side had 10 or more lands. I don't remember all of the cards unfortunately but one thing has become apparent in all of our matches: we WILL have more memorable and stupid games.

Side note: Deadeye Navigator is as ridiculously good as everyone says it is. The fact that I could blink the Body Double and keep it under my control is crazy. And this is on top of all the abusive ETB effects already.

Side note 2: many thanks to the Burger King that were completely cool with our rather loud laughter this match. An employee even came over to check and ask what we were playing.

Side note 3: French Fry Burger shout out!

Match 6: Kaalia (MGR) v Progenitus (QSP): 2 - 1

I piloted my favorite deck and rather popular choice: the all Planeswalker Progenitus deck. Most version eschew a couple copies of the less useful planeswalkers and have a more controlling land destruction them or Doubling Season proliferate engine but I prefer the good stuffs pseudo control version. More on this in a future deck tech.

I was pretty confidant going into this that Kaalia's chances of success were low. I mean, look at that preconstructed list! (found here: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/wizards-reveals-all-five-commander-decks/) There are admittedly some quite strong cards and the deck does allow for the dream play of land into sol ring + signet and then turn 2 Kaalia. But Master Warcraft? Evincar's Justice? Razorjaw Oni? Oni of Wild Places?! I did have to worry about Razorjaw Oni if I was depending on Progenitus to block and there was one game against a Glissa the Traitor deck where preventing her from blocking was tech but this card is just a self destruct button on blocking in the future. But the Oni of Wild Places? The only cards that abuse the ETB enabling are Bladewing the Risen and Duergar Hedge-Mage (which are admittedly cool) and Malfegor which... I guess if you need a desperate edict effect that's what it does. But otherwise it just does a bad Obzedat impression and only if you have Kaalia. So threat density wise, I figured Progenitus had enough answers.

Game 1: Solid starts from both sides and an early Dread Cacodemon from Kaalia meant I was taking a lot of damage. Unfortunately for me, Kaalia continued to drop her friends into play and I couldn't keep my planeswalkers alive long enough to derive much value from them. Eventually I'm able to drop a Humility and hope this keeps me in the game but it eats a Mortify and I promptly get run over. Okay, well strong start from Kaalia but I think I still have the stronger deck here.

Game 2: This game proved my pre-game feelings as I was able to control the board with a Humility and back to back planeswalkers like Karn, Chandras, and Jace Beleren for card advantage

Other random tidbits include clockspinning a Jace Memory Adept repeatedly to try and reach the draw 20 cards ability and ultimating with Garruk Primal Hunter and Koth ultimate which guaranteed no blockers with Humility out.

Game 3: Kept a strong hand of: Island x2, Vesuva, Jace Beleren, and some playable cards using just that mana base. Was able to copy MGR's Rupture Spire to guarantee nice fixing but what came next I didn't expect. MGR Wrecking Balls my Vesuva to lock me out of colors. Then swings with Kaalia and drops some creature to kill Jace and bring me down some life. I'm able to draw another land to freeze the threat with Tamiyo but it's responded to with a Angel of Despair and more direct damage.

I eventually play an Elspeth Tirel to create some chump ground blockers and have a Maze of Ith to keep Kaalia or any large flyer at bay while I try to stabilize in life but the battle seraph Bassandra ruins my day by making my tokens swing to knock most of them out. I'm able to get out Progenitus at and go for the 3 swings to win plan as I couldn't block the flyers and would be swarmed soon. However, Kaalia had her own plans and facing a potential lethal counter swing next turn dropped a Oni of Wild Places for exactly lethal. Wow. Of all the cards to lose to. Respect.