Subject: U.S. Nationals (35th)
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 01:34:09 EDT
From: JCR6330@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Nationals was definitely the toughest tournament I have ever played in.  The
competion was most of the best players in the united states.  This is not a
winning report just my report of things that happened at this years U.S.
nationals.  I would like to thank all of my team mates on Team Los Bastardos.
Jeff Curry, Lance Conrad, Jeff McElroy, and Dave Lawson for helping me
playtest and get better at booster draft as much as they possibly could.
Without them I’d still be just another scrub.  Mike Wilde and Greg Rosebeary
for sponsorship, support, and believing I actually had a shot.  I would also
like to give a big thanks to Team Seattle Thunder members Josh Lytle for the
type 2 deck I played at nationals.   Bryan Petersen for taking the time to
playtest some decks with me in Seattle.  My roomates in Columbus Mark Afana,
and Chris Endes for support and sharing a room with me. All the other people
I’m forgetting to list. 148 people showed up to try to become the next U.S.
nationals champion.

Onto the first draft my rating was 1846 and Jon Finkel was the only big name
at the table that I remember.  I no Jeremy Browser was to my left because I
fed him the shit during the draft to help him go 3-0 at our table.  But the
sad thing was there was only seven drafters that meant people got bye’s!  I
end up drafting this deck while passing like an idiot a Slaughter, Dauthi
Marauder, Dauthi Mercenary, Banish, Enfeeblement to Jeremy.  I was trying to
stick to my main color which was red so I took strong red over strong black it
was that frist pick Lightning blast I think that sealed my fate.

Day 1 Booster Draft (My rating 1846)

R/w (I really like the look of this deck 3 ogre’s and anoint yah!)
Lightning Elemental, Craven Giant, Mage il-vec,Flowstone shambler, Coiled
tinviper,
Mogg flunkies, Furnace Brood, Barbed Sliver, Warrior en-kor, Keeper of the
light,
Cloudchaser eagle, Wall of razors, Shifting Wall, 3 Reckless Ogres. = 16
critters
Aftershock, Lightning Blast, Flowstone blade, Fling = 4 elimination
Puppet Strings, Anoint, Seething Anger = 3 other
17 land
Sideboard notable cards : Change of Heart, Dizzying Gaze, COP blue, Reaping
the
rewards, Mogg Conscripts, Treasure hunter.

Round 1 - Derek Mallory - Table #30 - G/r/b - Rating 1754
Derek has a fat green deck with spikes, a couple black shadow guys with a
volrath’s
stronghold, and red for a shock and sonic burst.  In game one I get derek down
to 5 life while holding a lightning blast but he starts the spike feeder,
stronghold lock and I die to a spiked up shadow dude.  Game two goes the same
way except he topdecks the spike feeder while at 6 life while I again have the
lightning blast.  We never finish game two time is called, I lose.
Match 0-1, Games 0-1

Round 2 - Lance Shrader - Table #45 - B/G/w - Rating 1699
Lance was playing another green fat deck with black for a couple shadow guys
and
Corpse dance.  But Lance had two rampant growths so he added a plains for a
kor chant and a smite.  Game one starts out quick for me with reckless ogres
and aniont and I think I’m going to win until Lance starts corpse dancing fat
chump blockers.  I finally manage to kill him in the end.  In game two I get a
great draw with early beatdown and a seething
anger and fling.  Hum let’s think okay your right I win!
Match 1-1, Games 2-1

Round 3 - Jon Finkel - Table #19 - U/W - Rating 2012
I wasn’t really looking forward to this I think everyone knows who he is!  I
still believe
Jon was born with a counterspell in his hand.  I get a good draw with 2
mountains a
plains, a flunky, craven giant, lightning blast, reckless ogre.  It’s all good
I think I have a
good chance at beating him.  But Jon plays first laying a shield mate, not
good.  On his third turn he plays a Cloud spirit which I can’t lightning blast
because of the shield mate.  On Jon’s fourth turn he puts a curiosity on the
cloud spirit and I’m dead.  Game two I mana flood with 14 land and 5 spells.
Jon kills my with his silver wyvern.
Match 1-2, Games 2-3

In the next draft there is only seven people including Kyle Rose and I draft
this deck!

R/B (rolling thunder, flame wave, disturbed burial for the long game, if it
lasts that long?)
2 mogg flunkies, thrull surgeon, acidic sliver, vampire hounds, dauthi
marauder, 2
grollub, spike cannibal, patchwork gnomes, mage il-vec, reckless ogre,
lightning
elemental, furnace brood, mindwarper, phrexian hulk. = 16 creatures
flowstone blade, torment, sonic burst, rolling thunder, flame wave. = 5
elimination
Disturbed burial, skyshaper = 2 other
17 land
Sideboard notable cards : Watchdog, Endless scream, disenchant, 2 spinrift
drake, mana leak.

Round 4 - Jim Lemire - Table #3 - W/R - Rating 1874
Well for game one I start out like a sligh deck second turn flunkies, third
turn grollub,
fourth turn lightning elemental.  He only plays two creatures and I roll him
over.  I board
out my spike cannibal for an endless scream. I figure I can beat him even
quicker and the cannibal is pretty much useless except against green.  Well I
mana stumble a few turns and before I know it he has a Renegade warlord with 6
+1/+1 temper tokens on it and a conviction.  I have put a torment on it as
well but I soon lose.  Back in goes the spike cannibal.  Game three was a
classic great game we trade creatures and damage.  He once again uses both of
his tempers on his warrior en-kor. Thinking he’s going to win I play my secret
tech card the spike cannibal.  Yes it’s now a 7/7 thank you very much.  Jim
then casts a COP : Red, I’m thinking that’s okay I still have my black fat.
But on Jim’s next turn he casts a light of day sealing my doom and giving him
the match.
Match 1-3, Games 3-5

Round 5 - Sam Gutierrez - Table #4 - U/B - Rating ???
Wow there’s all these people watching two people with 1-3 records playing at
table 4??  Oh well Sam has a very solid deck with Silver Wyvern, and lots of
flyers and shadow guys.  Sam makes a mistake he forgot about my Skyshaper
giving all creatures flying he thought it only gave one flying.  So I fly over
and kill him in game one.  He can’t believe he just did that.  Game two is all
Sam though I manascrew at two land and no swamps with a mogg flunky on the
board.  In game three it’s my turn to fuck up Sam is beating me down turn
after turn with his silver wyvern.  I’m holding my rolling thunder like the
whole game.  I was thinking that I couldn’t target it but that only counts for
single targetting spells!  I lose to his wyvern, I’m such a scrub!!!!
Match 1-4, Games 4-7

Round 6 - BYE - The hardest opponent!
Match 2-4, Games 4-7

I go and eat and get ready for the next day even though I know I have no shot
at the top 8. They are giving out prizes and such for the best limited and
standard players for the U.S. nationals.  My only shot is to go 6-0 on day 2
and hope my tie-breakers are good enough for the plague and prizes.  I change
a few cards of course and the final deck looks like this!

The deck I decide to play:
ATM (designed by Josh Lytle) [Team Seattle Thunder]
4 soltari priests
3 warrior en-kor
1 soltari visionary
3 soltari monks
2 paladin en-vec
2 white knight
4 man-o-war
2 winter orb
2 firestorm
2 wrath of god
3 mana leak
2 mox diamonds
2 disenchants
4 empyrial armor
4 tithe
3 propaganda
2 adarkar waste
1 city of brass
3 undiscovered paradise
2 wasteland
2 gemstone mine
8 plains

sideboard
2 phrexian furnace (anti oath, 5cu, living death decks)
1 firestorm (5cg, tradewinds)
3 sleight of minds (anit-gloom, dread of night, anti-red)
4 aura of silence (anti-bloom, artifact crapp)
3 pyroblast (anti blue)
2 perish (anti-green)

My standard rating is 1872?  Wotc screwed up again!

Round 7 - Ryan Burke - 5cG - Table 48 - Rating 1600
Well it’s time for me to show my type 2 skill!!  It is also announced that
these rounds will be 90 minutes each WTF?  Ryan is playing a standard five
color green deck with muscle slivers??  I win easliy with armor shadow
beatdown in two fast games.
Match 3-4, Games 6-7 / For the day 1-0

Round 8 - Brian Plumb - Sligh - Table #46 - Rating 1750
He plays first and kills me in classic style in four turns.  Okay he got his
god draw now
it’s time for me to kill him.  I do the classic armor my priest and go to town
while
blocking with a slieghted white knight.  I win.  In game three it’s kind of
tight I play a
second turn white knight with and untapped diamond in play.  He had two
mountains
untapped so before he was done he incinerates it.  I slieght it to pro red and
this ends the game. He was holding a pyro and should of incinerated the knight
on his turn and pyro’ed my slieght.  We both new after the match that was the
deciding factor.
Match 4-4, Games 8-8 / For the day 2-0

Round 9 - Michael Wolfensberger - Bloom - Table #30 - Rating 1968
Micheal qualified for nationals due to his rating so I know this match will be
tough.  In
game one I see an island, forest, two gemstone mines, and on his fifth turn he
plays a
swamp and goes off on me I lose.  I thought he was playing 5cG or an Oath deck
and
didn’t over extend causing me a loss in game one.  Game two he mana stumbles
at three land for a couple of turns and it causes him the game.  The third
game was really tight right up to the point where I mana leaked his abeyance
and pyro’ed his prosperity.
Match 5-4, Games 10-9 / For the day 3-0

Round 10 - Peter Ripley - Donais 5cu - Table #25 - Rating 1826
I recognize what Peter is playing right away.  I never over extend and win
game one
pretty easily.  This is what is so weird he beats me the next two games after
sideboarding in zero cards and I sideboard out all my junk, WTF??  Oh well!
Match 5-5, Games 11-11 / For the day 3-1

Round 11 - Glenn Shell - Living Death B/G - Table #21 - Rating 1829
Well this match was so long oh man it took almost the whole time limit.  Game
one he
won after casting three living deaths.  Game two and three I won with the help
of
firestorms and perish.  He was playing with spike feeders, weavers,
nekratttal,
stampeding wilderbeast, walls, volrath’s stronghold, living death.
Match 6-5, Games 13-12 / For the day 4-1

Round 12 - Steve Reinhold - Sligh - Table #21 - Rating 1703
Qualified threw the meat grinder.  So I know his deck has to be good.  Game
one he runs me over as the only land I get is 3 undiscovered paradise.  Game
two is really tight me with priests and no armor him with cursed scrolls
killing my priest and other stuff I finish him with a firestorm.  Game three
he mulligans down to six cards and plays a first turn cursed scroll.  He
responds on his second turn with a havoc.  I play a priest and take two
damage.  He then plays a third turn spellshock.  I’m thinking this is bad
armor the priest take four and beat him while at 11 life.
Match 7-5, Games 15-13 / For the day 5-1

Well nobody finishes with a 6-0 or a 5-0-1 record for the second day and Randy
Buehler wins the plague with a 5-1 record in the type 2 portion of nationals.
I wish my
tie-breakers would of been better.  Well thanks for reading!!  I finish at
35th place over
all.
Other people from the northwest regionals finished at:
52) Stephen McAdams 3-3 / 3-1 drop
72) Alex Mitchell 3-3 / 2-4
106) Steven Stadnicki 1-5 / 3-3
134) Chris Endes 2-4 / 0-4 drop

Justin Rider
(Team Los Bastardos)