[Report] Grand Prix Chicago Top 8

[goobafish]

What a great weekend. It was a ton of fun playing against all my opponents, and a great experience to play against the pros.

Let’s get this started. I want to apologize in advance. I did not take any notes, and this is all from memory, I am sure some of you were watching my matches and can correct my mistakes.

Let’s start with the grinder.

I was very close to having 2 byes on rating for the GP, but 0-2ing an extended PTQ lost me over 40 points. So with 1 bye, and arriving at 7pm I decided to enter the last grinder.

Grinder Matchups:

Round 1: U/W/? Cunning Landstill

Game 1: I mull to 5, great way to start the event right? Anyways I mull and hit Nimble Mongoose, which I cast immediately. This goes the distance with the help of Wasteland.

Game 2: He plays Island pass, I am holding a Disrupt, Stifle, Brainstorm ect. I tries to Brainstorm at my EOT, I windmill slam the Disrupt, the look on his face was priceless. From that disrupt I don’t know if he even plays any more spells that game, definitely none that resolve.

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 1-0

Round 2: G/R/W Zoo

His deck had Briar Shield, Berserk, Might of Old Krosa, Invigorate, Wild Nacatal, Skyshroud Elite, Rancor ect.

Game 1: I take out all his creatures with burn spells, and drop Goyfs and geese which are bigger than his creatures.

Game 2: I burn a lot of his creatures, but he gets me to a pretty low life total. I get 2 Goyfs on board, attack for some damage. He plays a Land Grant and reveals his hand, I see he has berserk. He swings in with the Racored Nacatal, I block with my Goyf, he Berserks it to kill my Goyf and get my down to a very low life total, in response, I Submerge it. He scoops

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 2-0


Round 3: Mono U Painter

Game 1: This is just a blowout, he can’t deal with my Geese/Goyfs, and spell snares are perfect removal for his painters. I counter his Trinket mage, and seal the deal with my creatures.

Game 2: Even worse for him. REBs are amazing. He drops a first turn Grindstone, after I play a brainstorm, putting back 2 bolts, because I had 3 in hand, he Grindstones me, making my brainstorm even better. I ee away his Grindstone, counter all his spells and kill him with a Goyf.

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 3-0

Round 4: Brandon Adams: emidln

Game 1: I mulligan to 6, I do not have nearly enough disruption, and loose to a quick tendrils.

Game 2: I get a quick clock and a decent amount of disruption, despite his early top and plenty of digging.

Game 3: My hand is chalked full of counters, but I do not get a clock for a few turns, and he has a top in play. He does not get nearly enough protection, drawing mostly business spells. I get my clock, and he goes off during his last possible turn, but with no disruptions, and hits 3 of my many counters.

Game Score: 2-1
Match Score: 4-0


Round 5: U/G/B Countertop (Tombstalkers, Goyfs, Countertop)

I do not remember much of this round. I won for sure, not sure how many games. He makes the mistake of swinging with his Stalker when at 6, I swing with my Goose and Bolt him. This match was around 2am, I was way too tired, as I am sure he was.

Game Score: 2-?
Match Score: 5-0

I take my 24 packs, 3 byes but I lose many hours of much needed sleep.

Grand Prix Chicago Main Event:

Round 1 – Round 3: Byes (Thank you grinders!)

Round 4: James Vance: Mono U/w

Game 1: I fail to drop a Mongoose but my Goyfs deal a good amount of damage. Back to Basics hurts After a Fact or Fiction resolves, his Shackles and Morphling take me down.

Game 2: He plays 2 Back to Basics which I REB. I counter plenty of spells and beat him down with Goyfs.

Game 3: He drops a Chalice @ 1 which I counter, and then does it again, and play a pair of goyfs. My goyfs deal a good amount of damage. He resolves a fact or fiction that I can’t REB. This gets him a Shackles to stop my goyfs. I hit him down to 7 with my goyfs, then Rushing River with Kicker on his Shackles and Chalice, he has 7 cards in hand, Topdecks an EE and drops it at 2, I force it with the last 2 cards in my hand. He has no counters in hand despite his full grip, and scoops.

Game Score: 2-1
Match Score: 4-0

Round 5: Derek Sparks: Zoo

Game 1: He plays a few small creatures that get burned out. He deals me some damage using Rancor on a Nacatal. Once I burn out his creature, he gets mana flooded and my goyfs kill him.

Game 2: He drops Nettle Sentinel and that 1/1 bloodthirst guy. I bolt his Sentinel at end of turn, he pitches esg and GIANT GROWTHs it. I take my turn, let him swing in for 4, he drops another 1 drop, and I EE is board. Goyf goes the distance

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 5-0

Round 6: Jerry Yang: Merfolk

Game 1: He plays a turn 2 Jitte, which I let resolve. I burn out and spell snare/daze all of his creatures, and kill him with Goyfs.

Game 2: I kill all his creatures with REBs and burn. I draw 3 Goyfs. I love playing against merfolk

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 6-0

Round 7: Gerry Thomson: UWGB CB/Top (Feature Match)

Good coverage of the match is here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazin...chi09/blog1#13

Great games of magic, very entertaining.

Game Score: 2-1
Match Score: 7-0

Round 8: Jason Golliher: 75 Card Mirror

Game 1: I draw 2 Wastelands, kill him with Nimble Mongoose.

Game 2: He fetches and passes, I play a land, he tries EOT Brainstorm, to which I windmill slam the Disrupt. I hit 3 cards with Disrupt this game, and draw into 2 wastes. I win with Nimble Mongeese.

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 8-0

Round 9: Andy Probasco U/G CB Top

Game 1: No Nimble Mongeese for me. CB Top lock, kills me with Goyf.

Game 2: I fail to draw Monoose, he gets me under CB, and blind flips a 3cc to my Grip. He manages to steal my Goyf with his Shackles, I get no Wastelands.

Game Score: 0-2
Match Score: 8-1

Day 2 Report

Round 10: Jack Dobbin: Ichorid

Game 1: He mulls to 3, doesn’t make a play all game, gets to see what I am playing.

Game 2: Mulls to 6, gets City of Brass Putrid Imp on the play. I wasteland his City, and he dredges on upkeep. I bolt his Imp, he drops his dredgers to the yard. He chooses to draw. I drop a mongoose and pass. He dredges up 2 bridges and passes. I play a goose, pass the turn. He dredges again, I stifle a Narcomeba trigger. I drop a goose and swing. I get him down to 7. He brings out an ichorid and dredges up a Narcomeba and I block with goyf, giving him 2 2/2s. I pass the turn, he swings in with 4 tokens, leaving 2 untapped, bringing me to lethal range. EOT I bolt a token. I draw, bolt the other token and swing with Goose/Goyf for the kill.

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 9-1

Round 11: Mark Herberholtz: Faeries

Game 1: He gets a CB lock on me through 3 forces, and STPs my Goyf and I scoop once he drops a creature.

Game 2: Early Mongoose + Goyf seals the deal quite quickly, especially

Game 3: I drop an early mongoose, get threshold, and drop another goose. He drops 2 mutavaults. I have dealt him a good deal of damage, and swing in with my 2 Mongeese. He double blocks one to take it out. He is at 1. I swing with my Goose, he plays a Spellstutter Sprite, which I spell snare, and he counters back. He blocks the Goose with Sprite and Mutavault. My hand is Stifle, Stifle. He draws and drops Counterbalance (top already on the table). He has 3 mana open and a fetchland. I draw Fire//Ice for turn. I play fire, he rearranges with top, I stifle, he rearranges with top, CB triggers on stifle, he rearranges again, and I stifle. He cannot fetch because he is at 1 life, and looses to my Fire.

Game Score: 2-1
Match Score: 10-1

Round 12: Trent Jones: Goblins

Game 1: I do not find enough creatures to keep his Vial at bay. He drops a ringleader through the vial, hitting 4 goblins, including a siege gang.

Game 2: I out tempo him via wastelands, dazes, nimble mongeese and eventually goyf. My ices on his vial are practically time walks, as he is forced to hardcast ringleader, which I daze.

Game 3: I bolt his first turn Lackey, daze a pildreiver. I play a mongoose. He plays another piledriver which I also daze. I drop another creature to seal the deal.

Game Score: 2-1
Match Score: 10-0

Round 13: James Buckingham: Goblins G/b

Game 1: I get triple goose, daze and 2 goyfs. Enough said.

Game 2: I savagely misplay my very good opener of Stifle, Ponder, Brainstorm, Trop, Mongoose, Bolt, Blank by playing Trop Mongoose. I immediately see the misplay, I fully blanked that I had seen wasteland game 1. My deck apparently loves me, because I topdeck a land after he wastes mine. He plays a piledriver and we both go on the offensive, he draws some more goblins that I counter. Eventually he sticks a Goblin king. I draw a brainstom, and I see Bolt Goose Volc. I take those 3 into hand, drop the goose, swing with my other goose and pass. He swings with his mountain walking Piledriver, I bolt the King and block the driver with my threshed goose.

Game Score: 2-0
Match Score: 12-1

Round 14-15: ID
Match Score: 12-1-2

Top 8:

After the swiss I come in 5th place, to find out I am playing Nassif. I am not happy, but I know it is not unwinnable for me. I go over sideboarding with my teammates, and we develop a plan. As I find out after the match, Nassif had guessed my sideboard plan, just as I had guessed his. He kept very good hands against me (apparently with 4-5 lands in game 2). I keep a hand game 2 with Stifle and Wasteland, drawing 2 more stifles. Apparently Nassif had kept a hand with 4-5 lands and played right through my disruption.

A few people pointed out that there was a better line of play in game 2, but it involved Nassif punting (making a play mistake, costing him the game) twice during my turn. There is no doubt that the line of play suggested had a better outcome (if it worked) than mine, but it was less likely to work than mine was.

Coverage:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazin...i09/welcome#19


I want to thank all the Sourcers, emidln + crew, the VA crew, the Syracuse crew and of course our Canadian contingent for their support through the weekend. Playing 3 days straight with very little sleep/food/drink was draining.

Props and slops would be way too long. The weekend was unreal, and it was great to have everyone's support. The only real slop I can think of is the stuff being stolen, especially Kyle Dorgan's ANT deck.

Hopefully I will be making it to PT Honolulu, as I dive into my first time ever really trying to play a constructed format that isn't Eternal.