For whatever reason, I decided taking pictures was for nerds, so I don't have any photos from the events.
The Deck
Boros Midrange
Creatures
4 x Young Pyromancer
4 x Boros Reckoner
Spells
4 x Lightning Strike
4 x Magma Jet
2 x Mizzium Mortars
Lands
1 x Boros Guildgate
11 x Mountain
2 x Mutavault
3 x Plains
4 x Sacred Foundry
Sideboard
1 x Pithing Needle
2 x Wear // Tear
2 x Glare of Heresy
2 x Last Breath
1 x Mizzium Mortars
This deck has seen decent success in the past few weeks, and I liked its mix of on-board aggression and relevant answers for most decks in the format. It can usually pull ahead of Monoblack, can shut down Monoblue, and has enough recurring threats to give UW players a headache.
With that said, it was time to play ten rounds of swiss in a pool of 643 players...
Round 1 - Win, 2-0 (Jund)
Both of these were fairly easy games, as I didn't take any damage in game one and was dropped to 12 in game two.
After getting Thoughtseize cast in game one, the rest of my opponent's disruption blanked, as Duress and Lifebane Zombie failed to hit targets. The triple threat of Young Pyromancer, Chandra's Phoenix, and burn kept the board filled and my threats recurring as Chandra sealed the deal by plinking Lifebane Zombie and keeping Desecration Demon in check.
Game two saw the Pyromancer on board with Purphoros along with plenty of burn in hand. Two Reckoners on board also kept the board completely under my control.
Round 2 - Loss, 0-2 (Boros Devotion)
This deck seems like a bit of a problem for me, since I ended up losing to it twice this tournament. It also seems to be making a bit of a comeback, so it might be worth testing this matchup.
In game one, the Hammer of Purphoros, high devotion, and a Fanatic of Mogis was able to punch in for a big chunk of damage out of nowhere.
Game two was much closer and came down to a lucky topdeck on my end. I was able to swing in for 8 of the 10 needed and drew a... Purphoros. The Magma Jet would have been next, but my opponent's Hammer + golem token took care of Chandra I had that would have drawn me the winning card.
Round 3 - Loss, 0-2 (Boros Devotion)
Again, this game came down to a huge swing in damage thanks to a Fanatic of Mogis being dropped on top of a Boros Reckoner and Hammer of Purphoros. I had used my removal at that point to keep the early-game devotion under control.
Game two saw a Stormbreath Dragon drop when I didn't have an immediate answer for it and then it become monstrous and was well out of reach.
Round 4 - Draw, 1-1-1 (Prophet Bant)
Both of these games were super, super grindy as my damage was being blanked by his Sphinx's Revelations, but he was unable to keep any board pressure due to my removal. Thankfully I had the burn in hand for Prophet of Kruphix and he wasn't holding any creatures to flash in as a response.
Game two saw an Advent of the Wurm, Armada Wurm, Archangel of Thune, and a Primeval Bounty beating me within an inch of my life. I held on as long as I could, but his creatures got out of reach in a hurry.
Game three started with only 7 or so minutes on the clock. We chipped each other down to 10-12, but Stormbreath Dragon was able to hold off the assault and some play errors on my opponent's end kept it to a draw instead of a loss.
Round 5 - Win, 2-0 (Orzhov Midrange)
Mizzium Mortars stole the show by answering the Blood Baron of Vizkopa while two Chained to the Rocks shut down the Pack Rat and "in response" token. From there, the board was mine as I could ride Assemble the Legion to the win.
Game two was looking bad for me, as Blind Obedience and Obzedat, Ghost Council made things a headache for me. Reckoner was a huge board denial though, and Purphoros along with cheap guys hitting regularly won the war of attrition for me.
Round 6 - Win, 2-0 (Orzhov Aggro)
Both of these games were pretty much smooth sailing, as Pyromancer plus burn kept me rolling in blockers for the flimsy creatures that could have been thrown at me, which Boros Reckoner kept the threat of a 2-for-1 real. With the ground stalled, Chandra's Phoenix chipped in damage until the Stormbreath Dragon came in.
Round 7 - Win, 2-0 (Monoblack Devotion)
With one of my Assemble the Legion picked away due to Thoughtseize, I had to keep Desecration Demon under control with Chandra while chipping away with a Reckoner and Chandra's Phoenix. With plenty of burn to keep the Phoenix coming back as Demon food, game one was no problem.
Game two saw Assemble the Legion and Chandra, Pyromaster removed from my hand, but Purphoros, two Phoenix, and a Stormbreath Dragon punished my opponent for getting greedy with an attack of Lifebane Zombie and two Mutavaults.
Round 8 - Loss, 0-2 (Naya Monsters)
Both of these were very close games, coming down to 6-4 life in both before my opponent got the best of me. Xenagos pumping out satyrs along with a Stormbreath Dragon was had to deal with when there was no removal in hand for them.
Round 9 - Win, 2-0 (Opponent no show)
Woot. Time to play some Pokemon.
Round 10 - Win, 2-0 (Monoblack Devotion)
Pithing Needle naming Mutavault held the early game down as I watched his board get more and more clogged with Pack Rats. Boros Reckoner, however is a stud against the rat swarm, guaranteeing a 2-for-1 with every combat. After dropping three Reckoners, the board was stable enough for me to wait for Assemble to Legion to turn things back in my favor.
Game two was much of the same, with Purphoros, Reckoners, and burn holding down the fort until Elspeth showed up to machine gun in six damage with her +1.
Wrapping Up
I finished up 90 of 643, which wasn't too bad, but ultimately disappointing, as I was under-prepared for the Boros Devotion match up and it showed.
That said, I finished the day feeling really good about the deck. It can be quick and brutal when it needs to, or it can ride the grind train and try to win the war of attrition with some hard to answer threats. With no Standard on the horizon for the next few weeks, I might have to shelve this temporarily, but I think it will definitely be making a comeback.
That said, I finished the day feeling really good about the deck. It can be quick and brutal when it needs to, or it can ride the grind train and try to win the war of attrition with some hard to answer threats. With no Standard on the horizon for the next few weeks, I might have to shelve this temporarily, but I think it will definitely be making a comeback.
Coming Up
On Tuesday night, we should start working on a set review for Born of the Gods, so keep an eye on the blog for our first podcast!
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