Subject: TSPTQ Report - Abilene Date: Mon, 15 Dec 97 11:42:51 PST From: "Scott Gerhardt" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com Texas Semi-Pro Tour Qualifier - Abilene Well, just did my first qualifer for The Mad Hatter's Texas Semi-Pro Tour. It's a really neat idea that I hope people in other states decide to start up also. Anyway, the format was T2. It was also Double-elim, which I kinda liked over swiss for the time factor. Over the previous week I had pondered the idea of making up some wacky, off-the-wall deck that I had hoped might have a chance of going into such a tournament and doing well. Through much playtesting, and might I add, getting my ass kicked alot, I decide to go with an old Abilene standby - a deck called "This Bitch Ain't Too Nice" a.k.a. "The Bitch". The deck got it's name off a comment someone made about the deck during playtesting. Anyway, here was what was in it: 4 Nevinyrral's Disk 3 Wrath of God 3 Gerrard's Wisdom 3 Gaea's Blessing 4 Impulse 3 Inspiration 4 Counterspell 2 Dissipate 2 Dismiss 2 Spirit Link 1 Whispers of the Muse 3 Rainbow Efreet 2 Teferi's Honor Guard 1 Forest 2 Gemstone Mine 2 Grasslands 4 Flood Plain 8 Islands 2 Reflecing Pool 2 Undiscovered Paradise 3 Plains 2 Brushland SB: 3 Disrupt 2 Chill 3 Hydroblast 2 Interdict 2 COP: Red 2 Serenity 1 Winds of Rath Deck Comments: Outside of maybe the mana, there is not a think I would change in the main deck. Everything in there works in perfect harmony and I don't wanna screw it up. With the land, the fetchlands were awesome. They worked just as they were supposed to - see mana early, don't see mana late. They are great for any deck. Run 1 or 2 over 60 and make them fetchlands. They thin your deck and you don't get mana screwed. I was only mildly screwed once all day with this deck, and I still was able to win that game. The sideboard needs work. I kinda threw it together at the last minute. Either more chills, or pull them for warmths, but definatly more of one of those. Serenity was great, as was COP: Red and Hydroblast. Interdict was a bit suspect, and Disrupts seldom were good. The Winds of Rath should have been another Wrath of God, but I couldn't find my 4th. Now with that over, lets get on to the report: Rd 1 vs Jack Hunter (4 Color White) As this game went on, I had absolutely no clue what this deck was supposed to do, even near the end of game 1, so I had to play very cautious. Early on he put down a few critters, like White Knights and Soltari Monks, and I would wisdom to stay alive. Eventually I got down a disk, and next turn drew a wrath. From that point it was a very long, plainstaking process as my disk would hold him hostage until he put down enough stuff, then I would wrath of disk, and then lay another disk. I probably put out 6 disks on him thanks to Gaea's. Eventually, I got down a Rainbow and beat him to death - Rainbow kept dodging Diabolic Edicts and Incinerates, but managed to win for me. Game two was very, very similar to game one. Almost died to an Empyrial Armor on a critter, but wisdom and wrath saved me. Once my deck gains control, you WILL lose. Match (1-0) Games (2-0) Rd 2 vs Steve McMullin (Sligh) I was not happy to see that Steve was playing Sligh. I kinda have to get lucky to win game 1 and I don't like having ot win 2 straight against red. He starts an early barrage of Orcs, Pups, and Wildcats. I wisdom a couple times, then lay a disk. Once the disk went off, I just countered enough heat until I saw a wisdom. After I get back up, I put down a Rainbow with a Spirit Link. He can't deal with it, and I win. Game 2 I get out like a 4th turn COP and a 5th turn Chill. His answer to a COP is the Winter Orb, which he does not see until the Rainbow and Honor Guard have him at 3. Opps. Match (2-0) Games (3-0) Rd 3 vs Paul Taylor (Sligh) I'm scared now. Paul is also from Abilene, and has run the bitch before, so he knows my deck intimately. I also know what is in his atypical sligh deck and I'm not gonna like life. Game 1 he got down a quick Goblin Vandal and Fireslinger. With the Vandal down, I can't put down a disk, so I RACE for a Wrath, using every cantrip I have. It's not enough. I die in a slew of heat. Game 2 I bring in the blasts, chills, and COPs. I get a quick disk down. He has a Fireslinger and Hand-to-Hand. I blow the disk and play a Chill. He topdecks a Pyroblast. I wisdom back up and he puts down a slinger and a fanatic, then a Furance of Rath next turn. This is bad as I am not seeing what I need. After those 2 and a Sandstaker apply a little lovin', I Wrath the little guys away. Viashino hits me again, and I'm at two. I draw an impulse, and impulse for a Hydroblast. I only have 2 mana left, though - not enough to counter and blast, which is what I needed. He torches for one, and I blast the Furnace. I'm at one, but no counter for the Viashino, which he has exactly 3 mana for. Matches (2-1) Games (4-2) Round 4 vs Joel Mann (4 color white) Joel is a damn good player, so I know I've got my work cut out for me. Game 1 I start with a Gemstone Mine. That's it. I eventually see another mana and impulse. Mana kept coming from there. With a couple of knights beating me down, I wisdom back up some, then put down a disk. It goes off and I ctach a breather as I put down another. Now I wanna go for the kill, laying a Rainbow and Honor Guard in consectutive turns. He attacks with a knight, rainbow blocks. I phase, he Edicts, I try to phase Rainbw, he incinertates, I phase rainbow, then honor guard, then, with no blue mana left, he spontaneous combustions. I lose both creatures...damn! Anyway, I find my last Rainbow, protect it like hell, then beat him down. Game two his is totally mana screwed. I put down a creature at first opportunity and start pummeling. Not a good game at all. Matches (3-1) Games (6-2) Round 5 vs Jesse Kincy (Mana Overboard) Jesse is also a very good player from Wichita Falls who kinda owes me one for my sneaky, come from behind victory against him in the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix Trials a month-and-a-half ago. I was scared of this deck, though, after losing to it at the last T2, so i was ready. Early on, we do nothing except lay land. Eventually, he lays a Propaganda, and me a disk. He ends up discarding a Man-O-War and a Tradewind. I do nothing until I attepts to capsize, and I counter. Slap down an Honor Guard. Man-O-Waring is pointless. I deal with 3 Propagandas until he slaps down a medallion, then phase and blow disk. After putting down another, my Rainbow makes an appearance and together they pummel. At the end, I had more counters than he had cards, so keeping things off my critters wasn't hard. Game 2 is more of the same. My Serenity proves useful against Puppet Strings, 'ganda, and a Medallion. Once the Rainbow and Honor Guard get rolling, they're hard to stop, especially with backup counters. Matches (4-1) Games (8-2) Round 6 vs Rob Webb (5 color green) Rob is another Abilene guy, and we're playing for a seat to the qualifier since top 4 got one. Lovely. At least one of us gets the seat, but it means we have to knock the other one out to do it. Game one, he goes first and gets the Tradewind Rider lock out on me turn 3, before I can ever have enough mana to Wrath (in my hand). It was a god draw. Game 2 he slaps down a turn 3 Winter Orb. I forgot that he had them, and have little outside of a disk to deal with them. On top of that, add a gloom, so things are WAY rougher. I don't see a disk until too late, and he pummels me with a boa and a dervish. Matches (4-2) Games (8-4) Well, both people I lost to were hometowners, and both got seats. Kinda sickening, but that's okay. I'll get my seat eventually. For anyone looking for a great deck, use this one. With a regionally adjusted sideboard, it is outstanding against everything, excluding god draws. Have fun and hopefully next time I report, it's with my seat. Scott Gerhardt