Subject: UT Regionals report - ProsBloom 0516 Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 17:54:57 -0600 From: Bill Guerin To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Well, here it is, time for regionals ... first, the deck and comments ... Bloom My Way 2 Abeyance 4 Cadaverous Bloom 3 City of Solitude 1 Drain Life 1 Gaea's Blessing 4 Impulse 4 Infernal Contract 4 Meditate 4 Natural Balance 4 Prosperity 4 Squandered Resources 1 Scroll Rack 6 Forest 5 Island 6 Swamp 2 City of Brass 4 Gemstone Mine 1 Undiscovered Paradise Sideboard: 4 Chill 1 City of Solitude 4 Emerald Charm 2 Lobotomy 2 Mana Leak 2 Power Sink Comments: I have not liked the Vampiric Tutor in this deck ... to me, it seems to be a wasted slot that could be used on another thing. Also, the Lobotomies in the sideboard were the "WTF??" factor ... On to the tournament - Got there at 8am, and registered first in line (since I had my deck sheet all ready). Then I was chomping at the bit unitl the first round ... and the sheets go up and say ... R1 Jeff Hoeppner So I am sort of glad ... at least it is a known quantity, and I should be able to beat him. Then the announcement is made that the computer screwed up, and we will have to take a 45 minute lunch break while they fix it. Aaargh!!! So we go off to lunch, and then come back and are reseated, and I find my first round opponent is really ... R1 Tim Rivera 5cG "Super Bounce" 120951 (The "Super Bounce" is the Tradewind Rider/Quirion Ranger combo.) As we are waiting for the start of the round, we get a little chatty, and then he starts talking smack about a past tournament experience of mine. So I shut up and start to play. D1 - I am playing innocently enough, not knowing what the combo does, and when he gets it out on turn 4, and I can't draw the combo next turn, I concede. D2 - I start to go off, and he Pyroblasts my Meditate. (Here's where I play stupid - I have 2 more Meditates in my hand.) I Sink the Pyro for 6. He gives me another Pyro. I Sink that one for 5. He Mana Leaks the sink. At this point, I have a Prosperity and Meditate in hand, and 1 tapped Island on the table, so it is Leaked. I try to start it again with the Meditate I have, but am unable to draw a Balance. M: 0-1 D: 0-2 Well, not too bad to do it now ... time to go 6-0-1 ... R2 Geoff Dearing "Super Bounce" 574877 The deck, and one of the people I didn't want to see at this point (Geoff is a friend of mine)... oh well, here it goes ... D1 - Quick lock for him ... I concede. D2 - He attacks me for 8 and Incinerates me down to one (and then he comments he forgot to put down a Ranger last turn). I go off at that point, and when I have my deck in my hand, he concedes. D3 - I start to go after he lays "Mr. Bouncy" (Tradewind Rider), and keep searching for a City of Solitude to protect everything from a Pyroblast or Tranquil Domain (he has 2 mana available) ... I finally find both of them when I take the last of my deck into my hand, and cast one of them. He then casts Tranquil Domain, and, seeing as how I don't have another Bloom in my hand, I pitch 13 cards to the one on the table, and then Drain him for 24. M: 1-1 D: 2-3 R3 Sean Branghton R/B Gnome Recursion 615604 D1 - At first, when I laid my first island, he thought I was playing a Big Blue deck. Then, when I play a City of Solitude, he thought I was playing Zvi. Then when I finally start to go off, he gets it. Drain for 32. D2 - I can't find the Squandered Resources to go off. D3 - I meditate one turn too early, and it costs me. The next card I would have drawn was an Impulse, and the 4th card under that was a Propsperity. I had the rest of the combo to go. :((( M: 1-2 D: 3-5 Well, now it's time to play for fun.... R4 Eric Rathgeber G/R (Stompy/Sliver?) 613919 His deck was rather unprepared for Bloom, and his sideboarding was Boil, Tranquility, adn Tranquil Domain (total of 5 cards)(I didn't sideboard). I go off for 39 and 30. M: 2-2 D: 5-5 R5 Charlie Hodges White Weenie 716338 D1 - He was late. I win. D2 - I made a crucial mistake in this match ... I was pitching to the Bloom for a Prosperity, and I accidentally pitched the Prosperity (!!). I asked him if I could take it back, and explained what happened. After consulting with the judge that was standing right behind us (who said he could), he let me, and I went off that turn. (I already had him under an Abeyance lock). Drain for 39. Then this guy next to us chimes in ... "You actually aren't even allowed to do that." I wanted to say "Shut up, prick, and stop scouting!", but I used some tact in telling him off. Then my opponent started to sideboard, and I had to tell him it was over. (My friend said I should have played him anyway, but the judge was still behind us, and they knew about his tardiness, or otherwise I would have played him.) M: 3-2 D: 7-5 R6 Corbin Fox 4cW 120850 Great ... I get to play a 3-1-1 guy who is still in contention ... D1 - His 1 main deck Aura of Silence comes out to play, and it didn't help the fact that I couldn't find any of the pieces anyway.... D2 - I get mana screwed, but my sideboard comes out to play and I am able to counter 2 of his creatures to slow him dowm. He them puts a third creature out and puts Empyrial Armor on it next turn (too bad Emerald Charm is only globals).... M: 3-3 D: 7-7 R7 John Gilmore "Super Bounce" 744682 You know, Bloom is not a good deck to play when you're tired, and having to play this deck is even worse. Especially when his 'Geddons come out to play. D1 - Tried to go off, but he countered the Balance and then Geddoned his next turn (with the lock out).... D2 - He beats down on me hard with an assist from his Cursed Scroll. M: 3-4 D: 7-9 ... and yet I stick it out one more round. I was commenting to a friend that I would get really pissed off at the next person if he was also playing "Super Bounce", but no need to worry about it, as I am to play.... R8 - J. R. Peay B/U Reanimator (!) Never thought I'd see this deck, but he told me before we got started that he'd only been playing for 6 weeks ... and he has to play me in the final round. I kind of feel sorry for him, as he probably has no idea what my deck is about. He also plays rather slowly, but that's ok, as my deck has been finishing the rounds with 45 minutes left to go. D1 - I start out slowly, and seconod turn he casts a Merfolk Traders and pitches a Sliver Queen. I then know an animate card is next, and I have my Gaea's Blessing in my hand, so I cast it and make him shuffle his Queen back in. I lay a City of Solitude next turn, and am then able to take my own sweet time. When he finally Necromancys a Shivan, I go off. Drain for 40. (As I played my first Balance, he commented that he had no basic lands.) D2 - He casts a second turn Hidden Horror, and pitches a Verdant Force. I again have my Gaea's Blessing, so it goes back in. I Lobotomy him shortly thereafter, and catch his Pyroblasts (I don't think he knew Lobotomy was blue, since he had the mana available). He Mana Leaks my Abeyance, and I pay it and go off. Drain for 33. M: 4-4 D: 9-9 All in all, a good tourney, and I expect a 30-40 point boost in the ratings (I started at a 1507). We stay for the final 8, and my friend Steve Jarvis pulls it off. If you are looking for more extensive coverage of the final 8, please check one of the other reports, as I was too tired to care. Now on to the usual.... PROPS - Everybody for putting up with my deck Me for playing it out all of the rounds Charlie - for letting me have the Prosperity back J. R. - for coming to a tournament so soon (it took me about 6 months, and then for about a year after that I only played Sealed...) Bill, Karl, and the whole staff for doing a good job (as always) Slops - That "Super Bounce" deck for being so annoying Me for the error in round 5 That kid in round 5 for not minding his own business All the cheaters (especially in the side tournaments - I mean, come on, what do you have to gain by cheating in the side tournaments??) The guy who played Steve Jarvis in round 7 and had all of his mana sources marked Karl for only giving that guy a single warning and loss of duel (which lost him the match, but still.... I would have given him at LEAST a double warning and loss of match, more likely a DQ with a letter to the DCI recommending further investigation) DCI for not cracking down on cheaters harder (which leads to these type of situations) See you at the E-Center (for the Exodus Pre-release) Bill Guerin DCI#139430