Hump Day: Matches 9, 12, & 13

So first off, I'll be talking about Match 9 that QSP left for me to report on.

Game 1: So, I was on the progenitus deck and QSP was on the Rafiq deck.
I was stuck on just green and black lands forever! He had an academy rector out and was swinging every turn. I didn't want to block it with my garruk relentless tokens because that would allow him to get any enchantment he wanted from his deck. So I was taking one every turn. Stuck on just green and black lands, I finally drew a demonic tutor. I can search for a land! No one ever counters the tutor, they counter what you tutor for right?

Well no, he played mystic snake to counter the demonic tutor....
Long story short, game 1 was a disaster. I didn't really get to do much of anything while he beat down with academy rector and a mystic snake.

As you can see in my hand, I needed more than just Green and black mana. I drew one island, but I needed a lot more to even do anything.

So anyway, lost game 1.

He top decked a good one!

Game 2: I had a quick start with an ajani vengeant, karn liberated, tezzeret agent of bolas, and doubling season out in play. Karn was at ultimate, ajani V was at ultimate, and tezzeret was making

my artifacts 5/5 every turn to swing in. Additionally, because I was making so many 5/5's, I had QSP down to 4 life. Then the turn I was going to win, he time stops me when I try to ultimate with Ajani. He top decks an oblivion stone and takes everything out. Then the tables were turned. He started coming back. Eventually the board state looked like this:

He had a venser that he was crystal sharding, and a mulldrifter with double swords! Things were not looking good.

He eventually just outright won as I drew nothing that could dig me out of that ditch.

So final score for match 9, Progenitus (MGR) 0 - Rafiq (QSP) 2

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The next match I have to report on was a new EDH deck that QSP was building based on Karador, Ghost chieftain. He considered it a "beta" deck, but I said I wanted to try it out anyway. So he picked up the Kaalia deck to play against it, and there we went.

A new commander enters the fray

One of the best budget reanimation spells.

Game 1, I got mana screwed. I had 3 lands and couldn't do anything. Luckily, I had an animate dead in my hand, so when I got to 8 cards in hand, I discarded a Teneb the Renewer. The next turn, I was able to play a lotleth troll and stall out with teneb as Kaalia was summoned on the opponent's
battlefield. The following turn, I attacked with both teneb and lotleth troll, discarded more creatures to lotleth troll and started a reanimation engine that Kaalia could not beat, even with angelic arbiter out.

Game 2, I was stuck on 2 lands. QSP put a reliquary tower in the deck so I could not start the same shenanigans again with the discard at cleanup step due to 8 cards in hand. I thought I was going to lose when I played Erebos Emissary (which QSP asked me about as a last slot). I was using the Emissary to pitch my creatures to the graveyard to play gnaw to the bone to keep me in the game, because at this point, I have about 6 or 7 angels, demons, and dragons attacking me. I am down to 5 life when I have enough mana to pitch a sunblast angel to the graveyard thanks to the emissary and then cast it with dread return. It wipes Kaalia's entire board and I slowly start to come back after that, to end up winning.

So final score for this match, Karador (MGR) 2- Kaalia (QSP) 0

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So next match was to see if Karador could do it again, another upset? I picked up Rafiq with many changes while QSP was to play Karador.

One of the best green creatures in EDH

Game 1: I was stuck on 2 lands for a while, although I was able to play simic signet and coalition relic to mana ramp me up. On QSP's side, he played a karoo land which allowed him to discard
Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts. Since I was able to ramp up to 5 lands, I played an acidic slime and blew up the karoo land. However, he played exhume getting his Teysa into play.







I played a crystal shard and returned acidic slime to my hand to recast him, to try to keep him off of

Really annoying to attack into

lands while he continued to swing in with Teysa. His teysa was getting to be too much so I had to cast oblivion stone, as Teysa was being joined by friends. Additionally, since his reanimator deck plays big creatures, his lurking predators enchantment made me play around it. Everytime I cast a spell, I had to wonder if a big creature was going to come out into play.

However, QSP kicked marshal's anthem to bring teysa back into play. Then I genesis wave'd for 6, mostly getting lands, but also getting a phyrexian metamorph to copy teysa. QSP then reanimated mageta the lion from his graveyard. I played a deadeye navigator and a prime speaker zegana, while QSP continued to swing all out with his big army of big beaters.

He brought me down to 6 life, while I wargated for 6 grabbing a mana reflection with a grim monolith on the board already. That allowed me to sphinx's revelation and draw my entire deck, and proceed to win the game from there.

Best non Black tutor in EDH

 Game 2: So at the start of game 2, he played a karoo land on turn 2. I ended up strip mining it, allowing me a large tempo advantage. There was a turn he was stuck on one land and I thought I was going to be okay, however he played kodama's reach, recollect into another kodama's reach on turns 4 and 5, making him ramp even faster than I was.

Better than primeval titan?

He was able to pitch his sylvan primordial to the graveyard along with an unburial rites, so I destroyed his strionic resonator he had out on the field with bant charm. I did not want him blowing up 2 of my lands. I then cast prophet of kruphix which allowed me to cast a lot more spells than him, eventually leading to me casting a genesis wave for 13 a few turns later.

Reads: Destroy an artifact, counter an instant, or tuck a general

He then conceded when the board state looked like this:

So in the end for match 13, Rafiq (MGR) 2 - Karador (QSP) 0