Finally back at it!!!
Played in a tournament that I saw advertised on FB by friends. I have to drive 65 mi. one way (so 130 total on the day) to play. I'm down!
Round 1 vs. Burn. I saw him playing Burn for fun before the tournament. I was playing Amulet for fun before the tournament. My first 2 hands didn't stand a chance against him. I keep a 3 land, 2 3 drop hand. Big mistake. I get burned out, as I make him discard a Boros Charm and Wooded Foothills with Lightning Skelemental, but he draws Lava Spike and it's lethal with his 3 creatures. The next 2 games are mildly close, but I Skelemental him once in each game. Multiple Unsettled Mariners make it tough for him in game 2 and game 3 is easier, with Aether Vials and the Lord. 2-1.
Round 2 vs. Mono Green Aggro. He gets on the board, but is not aggressive enough with attacks. Doesn't matter. I hit the board hard with Risen Reef and overwhelm him easily. In the next game, he's a bit more aggressive, which is smart. But with a lot of creatures on board and
Ghalta, Primal Hunger, he alpha attacks. I Vial in Flickerwisp, Flicker the Ghalta, take 10, down to 2 life. Then I swing past the Ghalta for lethal easily next turn, putting a Thunderkin, a Skelemental, a Lord, and an Omnath (which he scooped to) for 8 damage. GGs. 2-0.
Round 3 vs. Bant Uro Field. In the first game, I kept a 2 lander. I miss a land drop, then I get stuck on 3 for a while, despite Risen Reef. It takes me a long time to draw Cavern, then I draw 2 in a row. He gets too much going on board with Jace first, then Uro and Field. I scoop because of time. I wasn't going to win this one. The next game, I really messed up, forgetting things I know from playing before. He ends up getting the Cryptic Command/Mystic Sanctuary loop with big Teferi in play. How do I stop it? I have 2 Fulminator Mages in play, so blowing up the Sanctuary in response to "tap team, bounce Sanctuary" blows up the Cryptic. Eventually, I make them check the rules online (this guy is the most experienced player, outside of me and it was unsanctioned). They find out I was right. So, I would have won this game because I had 6 creatures on board, including a Lord and a Voice token. But, no hard feelings; just happy to play again. I wish him luck in the final round. Anyway, it would have been 1-1 and we had no time for game 3. 0-2.
Round 4 vs. Tron. Lost my 4th die roll today, so in game 1, I'm always on the draw. He kept a suboptimal 7. I wanted to tell him that you never lead on Forest, Ancient Stirrings. This gives me time to Harbinger for Fulminator Mage without even drawing a single land (stuck on 2, but used Aether Vial) to blow up a Tron land in time. Then I have Lord and Thunderkin, so I do it every turn. The next game is similar, but he shows that he had
Heroic Intervention, so I let him do it on his upkeep when I Maged. He ends up getting out Ugin and Ugin wiped my 2 creatures, including Risen Reef. But I have Lightning Skelemental to kill it. Instead I go for the 2 cards in his hand because I have double Thunderkin Awakener to get it back next turn when it's on 6 to kill it. He draws Arboreal Grazer, which was odd. But I have enough to all out attack it to kill it. I win easily from there, as I immediately Fulminator Mage him and he doesn't reassemble Tron. He's topdecking to reassemble Tron AND get a bomb, so I'm safe from anything less than 4 mana. 2-0.
I finish 3-1 or 3rd place (something like that). Suuuuper fun to play paper again. I don't play online MTG at all, so it was a great time!