From: Allison & Clement Subject: No comment (tourney report) Date: Tue May 20 11:27:18 1997 The Hungarian National Championship was held at last Saturday. The format was a Type 2 constructed, and it was a six round Swiss. The best sixteen qualified for the next day, when the format was a Rochester draft. There were only 45 participants (thanks DCI! a few more "clever" changes, and no one will play) it was less than a half of the last year participants (96 persons). After a short debate I ended up to use my WW deck, instead of my ProspBloom because some of you guys gave me a good advices for it too. After all, it was a good choice, except that everyone is expected it. The day before the event, I took a good sleep, but then when I awake, I strongly felt that it won't be my day. Without any comment, here is my deck: 3 Death Speaker 3 Tundra Wolves 3 Benalish Hero 3 Mtenda Herder 4 White Knight 4 Order of the White Shield 4 Longbow Archer 4 Freewind Falcon 2 Mesa Pegasus 2 Disenchant 2 Reprisal 4 Crusade 3 Armageddon 1 Wrath of God 18 Plain Sideboard: 1 Sleight of Mind 2 Wrath of God 1 Parapet 2 Remedy 2 Disenchant 4 Repentant Blacksmith 2 Kjeldoran Outpost 1 Armageddon Round 1: My first opponent was Annamaria Koller. She is a solid player, we already met on several other tournaments. She played a G/r weenie/burn deck which was made by my friend, who was one of the judges. I took a good start, played about 4-5 1/1 weenies, but she played some elves, and elvish rangers too. Than she played a granger guildmage. I started to be worry, but I had a life advantage, so I hoped to draw a Crusade or any of my 2/2 creatures, but it never happened. My army was killed by a single guildmage, and I lost this game. Bad luck - I said but it's OK, it can happen. In the second game I draw only one land in my opening hand, and took some early damages from a giant growthed elf.After she played an elvish ranger, I played a tundra wolf, but it was killed by the second Giant Growth. I'm still not draw a second land, but played another creature which was killed by the third giant growth. I drew a second land, and reprisaled the elvish ranger. The next turn I draw my third land, and started to be recover, casted a white knight and a death speaker. She incinareted the knight at my discard phase, and after it (as I feared) played the only Armageddon from her deck, so it was over. The third match was a walk over, she played only one mountain, and my horde killed her at the sixth turn. But anyway, I lost this round. Round 2: Against Tamas Redei (Ready). I know him too, from the tournaments. He was played a mono black weenie/discard. In the first game he played a dark ritual/mindstab thrull, but then I played a death speaker. After it he played two black knights, and an order, and managed to kill me faster than I can kill him. Luckily, before the match I managed to show him "accidentally" my sleight in the sideboard, so he didn't put in his Glooms for the second match. I started again with one land, and never get a second one, so he won this match too. Before the third match, he realized, that I have no blue mana available in my deck, and started to cursing about my bluff. After it he put the Glooms in. This time my deck worked properly,=20 and he had only one land, and no dark ritual, to play his Gloom, so I killed him at the fifth round.=20 Round 3: Against Douglas Wong. He is an american pro player, who is working here. He has a company, which is selling Magic and RPGs. He made a deck totally against hordes, especially against white. It was R/B heavy burn/weenie. In the first match I had only one land for three round, and I was beaten with two orders and a wildfire. Match two: he started with 2 dark rituals and casted a black knight and an order in the first turn. I never recovered (maybe if I have a Balance...). At this moment I realized, that I have no chance to be in the first sixteen. The third match: I played six creatures in the first three turn, and waited for my crusade to win, but it never appeared. My army was quaked away, and I was beaten with a viashino sandstalker. Round 4: Against Tibor Vali. He played a r/w trash like deck. In the first game he was manascrewed, and I killed him fast. At this moment I thought he is mono red, due to the mana screw, but I only sideboarded in my blacksmithes. In the second match, I played a few weenies, but three crusades, when he played a knight of valor. It was a sudden shock for me, but then I draw a Reprisal, and it was a game over. Before the third match I sideboarded again. This time he played an early meekstone, after it I refused to play my crusade, I played it only for the last attack, and I won. Round 5: Against Tamas Freizer, "mono red" burn with city of solitudes. In the first match, I had some mana problem again, he quickily played 2 wildfire emissaries and killed me. The second and third match was exactly the same. None of my sideboard cards or crusades appeared, except a single repentant, and I was unable to play an Armageddon, cause I hadn't got four lands. Round 6: Against Balazs Kakas, white weenie. He had several mana problems and I beat him quickly three times. BTW, it was a very boring match, cause he played the deck which was made by one of my "teammate" and it was nearly the same like mine. After I ended up as 33rd, I 've got several conclusions: 1., It's just a game. 2., I won't play a WW with 24 lands, just because I'm unlucky sometimes. (I lost seven games because of a manascrew, but it was just a plain bad luck. 18 land is still enough IMHO.) After all, I didn't want to write about it, because a "memoirs of the looser" is never too interesting, but I promised it, so be it. Thanks for all of your patience, and all of your helps (especially from you Pete) I hope you have a better luck. Peace, Istvan (looser) Raso