Subject: Maryland State Tournament Report, by Jason Lormore Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 12:31:20 -0500 From: "Ed Lormore" To: Hello Frank. This is my first report I hope you will post it. I never sent any work to you before but I'm an avid reader of the Dojo and really appreciate all the work you do for it. Thanks here's my report. Maryland States at Dream Wizards Saturday 14, 1998 (The day lives for me in infamy) Well I began Play testing for States months ago the deck I had planed to take I'd had been working on before even the Rome PTQ. I had been playing with Land Destruction and when Urza came out my deck was almost complete I put together a RED/GREEN/WHITE deck using Raze, Armageddon, And the Argothian Wurm. In play testing it did very well in till I came across one deck type. Elves. Lots of elves. I couldn't beat the "cradle deck", or "fire elves" what ever you want to call it so I decided if I couldn't beat the little bugers I"d join them this is what I played with: 4x Fireballs 4x Disintegrate (having the 8 x spells was really huge) 2x Meltdown (this was a metagame deal, The Academy decks, also scrolls and cheap mana were killed wholesale) 2x Bird of Paradise 3x Llanowar Elves 3x Elvish Lyrist (This card was a MVP should of had 4, killed al kinds of good stuff) 3x Skyshroud Elf 3x Seeker of Skybreak( or the beatdown elf he did more damage as an attacker than any other creature) 4x Priest OF Titania (mo mana mo mana mo mama) 3x Wall of blossoms 1x Mirri, Cat Warrior (hey don't laugh she was my queen of the beatdown) 3x Cradle Guard (I really like this card but I found myself siding it out ever time should of been null brooch main deck) 2x Child of Gaea (he's big, he regenerates, he has trample, he is way under costed) 3x Winter Orbs (This was my super tech, worked well never hurt me and people didn't expect it) 2x City of Brass 4x Karpulsan Forest 3x Gaea'a Cradle 2x Mountains 9x Forests Sideboard 2x Null brooch (should had 3 in main deck) 3x Constant Mists(Saved my behind in round 2) 2x Meltdowns (did I say I hate artifacts) 3x Pyroblast 2x Scragoth 3x Light of day (this one was stupid, stupid, stupid, should have been Altar of Dementia and maybe I could of beat Death deck) Well there the deck. After the fact I found that I need Altars in my side board, Null brooch in main deck, and maybe a reclaim or two somewhere. Since you wondering how this slop did here's my report. Me and My Magic Mentor (Paul Ragsdale) got to Dream wizards about 8:30, we went to the Greek place up stairs and had breakfast. We were up the night before till at least 2:00 am so we were a little tired, thank god for caffeine. There were around 64 players 6 rounds of Swiss, let the states begin. First Round Let me just say this round took forever to get underway. Against Rick Dutton playing this neat green based bloom like deck Match 1 He gets a Third turn kill!!!!!!! He drops elves and a green meddion and then goes off with earthcraft, recycle and In till energy of elves and a land with wild growth on it he drew he's entire library and fireballed me for a lot. Match 2 I don't side any thing I burn his early elves, and mirri goes all the way Match 3 I burn early elves will my seekers beat him up Finnish him off with a 8 point fireball match record 2-1-0 Duel record 1-0-0 Round 2 Against Keith Christopher playing a sneak attack deck Keith was a good guy, I got a weird pairing because Keith lost his first duel I guess there were an old numbers of winners so I got some one who had lost. Talking to him about the first round he told me he lost to an elf deck, I just smiled to my self. Match 1 again with a 3 turn kill!!!!!!! He mana vaults mox diamond, gamble sneak attacks throws a endless wurm at me then flings it!!! all on the second turn 3 turn he throws something else I dead Match 2 I side allot null brooches, Constant Mists, and more meltdowns. The Lyrist wins this for me he didn't get to keep those sneak attacks, he did manage to get me to 5 after a 15/15 angle came out but null brooch put in check and a big fireball toasted him Match 3 Again Lyrist on first turn than elf beatdown, he keeps drawning land Match record 4-2-0 Duel record 2-0-0 Round 3 Against Alex forgot his last name playing arcane laboratory, tradewind, ertai, forbids, couterspell ect... I like to say that Alex was very cool a good gut to play he let me make mistakes and wasn't a jerk about. I played badly this round real bad. Match 1 I can't win the first game of any round he wins by casting evacuation end of my turn then casting walls and tradwinds tradewinds fly over elves Match 2 I side in a lot pyroblast, scragie, null brooches. He got beatup he dropped a laboratory tapping out I dropped a null brooch, so I'd cast something and then counter his counter elves went the distance here.*note*I messed up here because I Paris and then drew 7 cards he took a random card from my hand and put in in the middle of my library, he didn't call the judge. Match 3 Scragie goes all the way, *note*more bad play because I kept trying to cast more than 1 spell with a laboratory out. He never damaged me but I took 6 points of mana burn because I'm a idiot Match record 6-2-0 Duel record 3-0-0 Round 4 Against Andrew playing living death Match 1 Well a hermit druid and a living death and I die 5th turn *note* I always lose game 1 Match 2 My sideboard isn't great mists, and null brooches, I should of had altars. He rush early with a whale constant mist stalls him till he gets the infinite life combo going than fire balls me for 3000 or something. So I lose my first to death. Match record 6-4-0 Duel record 3-1-0 Round 5 Against Jon Playing Death :) I've played Jon before at the Rome PTQ he was playing death there too. I won that time but not today match 1 Jon deck was better than Andrew death deck that just beat me, be played a third turn verdant force and that was it, I was over run by tokens Match 2 I side in null brooches and constant mists , I Paris then draw 6 cards and only 1 land a mountain. A cradle comes 3 turns later but I'm dead. Match recorded 6-6-0 Duel record 3-2-0 I drop after that. No chance of going top 8 at the PTQ I went 3-1-1 and dropped so with 2 losses I was done. Not having a good enough sideboard against death hurt. I need altars that would of done it Here the part everyone likes : Props *My magic Mentor Paul "I can't lose to sligh" Ragsdale for coming to states with me *Rob at Dream wizards for putting on a great state championship\ *To who ever beat the former state champion Peter Riply(he didn't repeat) *The staff of Hooters Where my mentor and I rushed off to after the tournament *Whoever thought up the uniform for the staff of hooters (the highlight of my day) Slops *to John "I can't remember to bring a deck to a PTQ" Thompson for talking me out of wasteland for my deck *myself for not playing altars *myself for all that bad play against Alex * that idiot wearing the Dan^dan shirt for acting like a child while playing my friend, who are you Mr.. attitude I see everyone at PTQ LA