To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com From: "Scott Gerhardt" Subject: PTQ - Dallas TX Date: Mon, 26 Jan 98 18:39:06 PST Well, I almost didn't write this report, since I didn't win, or even make the top 8. The finish was decent, though, and the deck I thought was good, so why not. Cutting to the chase, I ran jank. It is just soooooo good that I knew it had a good chance. I had a couple of anti-jank cards starting, but not much, and the ones I did were good. Here's the deck for those following along at home. 3 Wildfire Emissary (these were superb - maybe should have been 4) 3 Longbow Archers 3 Soltari Priest 4 Savannah Lions 3 Frenteic Efreet 3 Suq'Ata Lancer 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Incinerate 3 Swords to Plowshares 4 Cursed Scroll 2 Aura of Silence 1 Disenchant 4 Tithe 4 Tundra 4 Plateau 1 Volcanic Island 1 Undiscovered Paradise 2 Plains 4 Mishra's Factory 4 Wasteland 2 Flood Plain SB: 3 Dwarven Miners (kinda wish I had started a couple. They wrecked people) 3 Red Elemental Blast 3 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Disrupt 2 Aura of Silence 2 Honorable Passage Round 1 vs Tyler Schein (weenie black) Game 1 I spent trading shots with him early, and then picking off his knights and askari with bolts, plows, and the cursed scroll. He didn't see a drain, and I won. Game 2 I didn't quite know what to bring in. Pulled the plows and brought in Miners since I saw some Underground Seas and Rivers, plus they were non-white critters that could chump block knights if need be. It didn't matter. He gets a quick chill out and I have nothing. Couple turns later he get Stench of Evil. WTF?!?! People play with that thing? I lost bad. Game 3 I bring in the disrupts, the Auras (saw Gloom while shuffling after game 1) and a Red Blast. A quick cursed scroll followed by a critter hoard was all he saw as a fast Aura prevented Gloom from hitting. It was fast and ugly. Matches (1-0) Games (2-1) Round 2 vs Jeff Clark (W/g Prison) Game 1 he get Wisdom at a crucial point gains life, locks me down, then beats me down with an Outpost Game 2 in come the Auras and Miners. A fast aura keeps the lock off me as he can't topdeck a wrath to keep my creatures off him. A barrage of scroll action and bolts kill him from 10 to 0 in half a turn. Game 3 - see Game 2 Matches (2-0) Games (4-2) Round 3 vs James Rutherford (Necro-Discard) This was a perfect example of why I don't play Necro *grin* Game 1 I see a quick rack to answer my cursed scroll. I don't care as I have a disenchant. A couple quick creatures beat on him. Agonizing Memories twice, the second one gets the rack with the disenchant. He Necros into range, then burn the hell out of him. Game 2 I pulled the Plows (didn't see creatures) for Disrupts and Miners. Big mistake. Steel Golem after some discard makes me pay for it. Game 3 I bring back in the plows. I beat him down hard and fast despite squandering twice. He lake drains for 8, I waste it and beat on him some more. He Necros down again, and I burn him again. He took soooo much Necro damage this match I felt like my job was being half-way done by him. Guys, Necro does NOT beat jank - it helps it. Matches (3-0) Games (6-3) Round 4 vs Preston Poulter (U/W/g controlPost) Game 1 quick critters get plowed and hydroblasted (???). He gets a post at 8 life. I have a Lion and an Archer, him with a goof. I draw and plow the goof. He thinks, then counters. I attack, Archer gets through. Bolt and Incinerate. It's all about Jedi MindTricking PT-Players. Game 2 can be summed up real easy: Gerrard's Wisdom for 14.....Disrupt. Smack him around easy. Easiest round all day. Matches (4-0) Games (8-3) Round 5 vs James Stroud (W/r Anti-Jank) Game 1 we trade critters and shots until both at 6. He attacks and I screw up and scroll his pump knight. If I don't, I can get him with the scroll twice and kill with Freaky. It's not about being Jedi MindTricked. I thought he had a bolt. He didn't Game 2 I squander once, still screwed, but have 2 wastlands. I keep it because I don't want to go to 5 cards. I never see color. Matches (4-1) Games (8-5) Round 6 vs Bryan "Red" Sammon (Jank) Game 1 my jank is quicker. Game 2 his jank is quicker Game 3 my jank is quicker Jank on Jank is all about the first person with a cursed scroll and able to effectively use it. That's it. Matches (5-1) Games (10-6) Round 7 vs Troy Spillman (W/G/r Tax/Rack) Game 1 he gets the combo going quick, sees his cards, gains lots of life from plowed Maros and Gerrards. In the end it's a race. Fairly even life, I have 3 creatures and he has 1, a Priest with Armor. Now where did those plows go....that's right...Maro. Game 2 takes forever. He take a lot of damage from quick critters to get low, then firestorms twice when I tap out (have a passage in hand). Eventually he takes damage from his Guildmage when it misses my frentic 4 times in a row (0: phase out). I'm not gonna be the one to tell him that his mage doesn't deal damage to him if he doesn't do damage. At the end, the for some reason doesn't use the mage, and attempts to bolt the frentic. He was less than 5, and I passage the bolt, beat on with Frenetic. Game 3 was sooo weird. No one could keep creatures. He was mana hosed early and was playing Rangers, guildmages, and birds. I bolted and plowed all I could, but he eventually got enough, gained wisdom. Time was running low and I had a frenetic, and him with 2 birds. He killed me without any direct damage, and without laying another creature. I'm ashamed to saw an armored bird killed me seconds before time ran out. Damn. Matches (5-2) Games (11-8) Round 8 vs Vinnie Falcone(Jank) Why the hell did I play this match? SHould have dropped, knowing I was out. Instead I play. Game 1 he starts with 1 Plateau, 2 Lions, 2 Wastelands. That was just too good. Game 2 he gets the quick jump before my scroll starts to control. He gets me down to 2 with a bolt in hand, but Miner killed all the red land. He's at 14 with 2 cards in hand. Trys to scroll, and misses. I hit him for 7. He tries again with 2 (played a land)and gets me. Dude was a real prick. Matches (5-3) Games (11-10) Oh well. Shit happens. This wasn't my last qualifier, so I have 1 last chance. I'll give it a try next week in Lubbock, probably a different deck, and see how it does. The trip was worth it, though. I wore a Foxfire t-shirt to this Ed Fox run tourney. He gave me 2 Ital. Legends boosters and a Tempest starter for it. One ofthe boosters had a Mirror Universe. Not a bad consilation prize. Looking back, the deck was great. Maybe a couple of changes, but it was awesome. I might could have played better, but I was tired and screwed up a lot. This deck could have easily been #1 if not for the matchups. It happens and I would not hesitate to run it again. Scott Gerhardt Abilene Vatos / Oddland Dragons