Team Fanatix at:
JW Kingsley's debut article with Team Fanatix.
As some of you may or may not know, Hayden and I headed off
to the Bluegrass State to participate in Grand Prix Louisville. We met up with a couple of Floridians (Jonathan Marsh and Chris Fennell) somewhere near the Alabama/Tennessee line we learned that Seth Manfield (2
time GP winner) and Steve Mann (PT Gatecrash Top 8 competitor) would be
crashing with us at our hotel. Fairly
impressive array of company in 2 Gold level Pros and Seth who needed a top 32
finish to lock up Silver.
Hayden had locked in on his deck earlier in the week and was
going to play the Boros White Weenie deck that he had lost to at States. I was fairly confident that I wound be
playing Esper Control. I had a list with
no Azorius Charms and the Whip/Ozbedat Combo.
I also brought the Mono U build and all of the pieces of Mono Black just
in case.
We arrive at the Kentucky International Convention Center, and notice that there are cubic metric ton of GR ‘Dinosaur’ Devotion decks and Mono Black Devotion decks. Not much else was going on so we decided to leave downtown Louisville and skip out on eating as nobody was hungry. After arriving to our room roughly 10 minutes away everyone decided that we should get some food. This would prove to be a daunting task in the hills of Kentucky. I am pretty sure that it wasn’t just my imagination that kept looping “Dueling Banjos” in the background. After a bit we settled in to eat at a local Pizza Hut, it was right next to the Daycare/Car Show/Barber one stop store. (Yes this one place was all three things in one)
We arrive at the Kentucky International Convention Center, and notice that there are cubic metric ton of GR ‘Dinosaur’ Devotion decks and Mono Black Devotion decks. Not much else was going on so we decided to leave downtown Louisville and skip out on eating as nobody was hungry. After arriving to our room roughly 10 minutes away everyone decided that we should get some food. This would prove to be a daunting task in the hills of Kentucky. I am pretty sure that it wasn’t just my imagination that kept looping “Dueling Banjos” in the background. After a bit we settled in to eat at a local Pizza Hut, it was right next to the Daycare/Car Show/Barber one stop store. (Yes this one place was all three things in one)
In Pizza Hut we discuss deck ideas and choices, its boiled
down to Chris is playing GR Dinosaurs, I ask the group what does the mono Black
devotion deck look like if you add 4 Godless Shrines and jam a couple of Blood
Barons of Viskopa. We discuss it a bit
and head back to the room to jam some games.
Fennell and Seth favored playing Nightveil Specter over the stock
Lifebane Zombie, I thought and argued that there was room to three-three split
them. They won out and we jammed some
games vs the Green Devotion deck. Black
was getting hammered I do not think I won a game. I suggested that we just make the Specters
into Lifebane Zombies and run it back.
There was a stark change in the results and the matchup pulled back into
a decent matchup. Since it was getting
late we sat down to try and put the final touches on everything and discuss
sideboard options.
Seth ended up -1 Swamp +1 Devour Flesh, +1 Erebos -1 Nightveil Specter, +1 Abhorrent
Overlord over 1 Blood Baron in the main.
I decided to not play the Overlord and instead maindeck a Baron. Overlord is an attempt to go bigger in the
mirror, and is absolutely nutty with the whip.
I opted for the less flashy main deck hate card. I know that Overlord did win Seth a
match. Ironic note Seth and I argued if
the deck should run 25 or 26 lands, I pushed for 25 and Seth 26. We both ended up taking the advice of the
other.
This is the list that I sleeved up and played.
4 Gray
Merchant of Asphodel
4 Desecration
Demon
1 Erebos,
God of the Dead
1 Blood
Baron of Viskopa
3 Nightveil
Specter
3 Lifebane
Zombie
2 Doom Blade
2 Ultimate
Price
1 Devour
Flesh
4 Hero’s
Downfall
4
Thoughtseize
3 Underworld
Connection
2 Whip of Erebos
4 Godless
Shrine
4 Temple of
Silence
2 Nythkos,
Shrine to Nyx
2 Mutavault
14 Swamp
Sideboard
2 Durress
2 Glare of
Heresy
1 Blood
Baron of Vizkopa
1 Lifebane
Zombie
2 Sin
Collector
2 Dark
Betrayal
1 Erebos,
God of the Dead
1 Pithing
Needle
1 Wear//Tear
2 Pharika’s
Cure
The
Wear//Tear and Lifebane Zombie should have been Merciless Evictions. The rest of the deck I was very much happy
with. With the list settled I went to
sleep. Bunking with Jonathan Marsh is
supposed to be good luck, I guess I was going to put that superstition to the
test.
We get up
that next morning, pile six deep in a small little Honda and head out to the
venue. I always start getting a bit
antsy during the players meetings at any tournaments I attend and they often
carry over to that first game. Luckily I
have two byes at Grand Prix this season so after the player’s meeting I get a
nice two hour break to go out and explore the area around the venue. This lets me clear my head and work off some
nervous energy. It is always sweet to
experience new cities. Louisville has a
pretty neat downtown area called 4th Steet Live, you should
definitely check it out if you ever find yourself in the area.
RND 3 vs Talon Carrin (Junk) 2-0
Pretty
uneventful match vs a really nice guy he had some color struggles game one and
Thoughtseize made sure he did not cast anything other than a Voice of
Resurgence. Game two he had some
pressure but had to scoop to Blood Baron, Grey Merchant and Whip.
RND 4 vs
Stephen Horne (Dynacharge Red) 2-0
Turn one
Thoughtseize showed me that I was in a battle vs the worst matchup. Thankfully he had to mulligan to five. Back to back Chandra’s Phoenix rips made game
one close. Game two was a battle as
Lifebane Zombie showed my opponent had a Skullcrack in grip. I forced him to have to blow the ‘Crack on
his turn to blank my blocks with a Whip in play, allowing me to Merchant myself
to safety on the previous turn.
RND 5
vs Matt Moscatel (GW Aggro) 2-1
A Merchant
for 12 ended the first game on the spot.
Game two I stalled on lands while he had the dream draw and simply
crushed me. Game three Blood Baron came
down and held the ground and finished out the game with a little help from a
few Lifebane Zombies.
RND 6 vs
Grant Christopher (BW Midrange) 2-0
Grant is a
guy from the Atlanta area, we have seen each other around. It’s always cool to play vs people you know
from other areas. Grant drew the wrong
half of his deck game one trapped with several dead Doom Blades and Game two he
mulled to five and had little chance to play the game.
RND 7 vs Gaudenis
Vidugiris (Mono U Devotion) 1-2
Oh snap a
former Pro Tour champ is my next opponent.
I took a moment on the walk to the table to calm myself and prepare for
an opportunity to play vs one of the games better players. I Thoughtseize Gau on turn three of game one
to have a choice between Cyclonic Rift or Master of Waves. I lacked a removal spell in hand to deal with
the master that was going to come down with five water ponies, so I felt I had
to take that than the rift that I really wanted to not have to play
around. On my next draw step I rip a
Downfall. Gua is on his third Master
presenting lethal, I could Grey Merchant him for 10 while he is at eight life,
he however still has that Cyclonic rift to return my Nightveil Specter to my
hand and only take seven. In the second
game Gau ends up mulling to five and can’t answer Desecration Demon. Game three I stall on four lands with an
Underworld Connection in play. I’ve
battled to a position that if I could rip my 5th land drop in the
next three cards I can start a chain of Grey Merchants and win the game. Unable to rip a land I die to a Tidebinder
and Frog Lizard Token in two turns. Gau
revealed the top eight cards of his library and they were all blanks and
lands. I got a little unfortunate, took
the wrong side of a pretty close Thoughtseize call and still almost got
there.
RND8 vs Josh
Dosher (RWB Control) 0-2
Not a whole
lot to say here Game one I cast three spells they all got Chained to some Rocks
and I die with lands a plenty. Three spells
to twelve lands makes for tough ways to try and win games. Game two was more of the same except I was
able to kill a creature then die quickly to double Desecration Demons. I have to take a moment and gather myself as
I really do not want to pull the 6-0 to 0-3 crash and burn from Day 2; especially
not when Hayden is crushing things at 7-1.
Deck is good, I am good so let’s crush this last round and get there.
RND 9 do or
die time vs Micheal Nyberg(GR Dinosaurs/Devotion) 2-0
And to
finish the day off I have to beat the matchup I had hoped to dodge. My turn one Thoughtseize reveals a hand of
Voyaging Satyr, Burning Tree Emissary, Mountain, Forest, and a pair of Garruk,
Caller of Beasts. I quickly took the
Burning Tree Emissary. A couple of turns
later I am in a show down vs Caller of Beasts, luckily for me his +1’s only net
him one scary spell a turn (PolyK or an Arbor Colossus) and I am able to dispatch them with removal
or hand disruption while getting some damage in with Lifebane Zombies. I am pretty sure my opponent threw game one
away but not choosing to -2 his Garruk and put an Arbor Colossus in and
monstrous it to kill the Desecration Demon I had in play. Instead he cast it and I was able to draw the
Doom Blade to kill it off. Finished the
game off with Demon/Lifebane . Game two
my opponent drew ultra poorly and never had any threats all dorks and lands.
Just like that I was on to Day 2 of GP Louisville. Not a bad showing considering that I was building a deck at 1:30am the night before. Hayden crushed day 1 losing only the WW Mirror to the undefeated WW player and finished 8-1. 4 out of 6 of our car made day two including Seth Manfield playing the same deck.
Thanks for reading. I will finish out Day 2 and talk about where I think Standard is heading in a world full of Devotion in the second part of this report.
Just like that I was on to Day 2 of GP Louisville. Not a bad showing considering that I was building a deck at 1:30am the night before. Hayden crushed day 1 losing only the WW Mirror to the undefeated WW player and finished 8-1. 4 out of 6 of our car made day two including Seth Manfield playing the same deck.
Thanks for reading. I will finish out Day 2 and talk about where I think Standard is heading in a world full of Devotion in the second part of this report.
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