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Ultimate Standard Tournament, Pt. 2

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Here we continue with the results of the North Bracket. A commenter made the point that the Necro list I ran was a 1.5 list. This is true, and the mistake likely happened due to the fact that I selected the specific Necro list right before shuffling it up for the Ultimate Standard Tournament. I reran a five-game set with an old Hypnotic Specter list (which was the other one I was considering), and Heartbeat still prevailed 3–2. Given the limited effect this has on the bracket, I'm just going to continue it, since even if Necro managed to reach the finals, there is no way it is getting past Academy, which, as expected, crushed the North Bracket.

Academy vs. Sabre Bargain

Game 1 (Academy on the play)

Academy mulls Lotus Petal, two Mana Vaults, Blasted Landscape, Brainstorm, Intuition, Stroke of Genius.

Academy keeps two Tolarian Academy, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Island, Windfall.

Sabre Bargain keeps two Plains, Phyrexian Tower, Renounce, Academy Rector, Yawgmoth's Bargain, Skirge Familiar.

AC: Academy, Diamond (pitches Academy), Petal, Windfall (draws Lotus Petal, Mox Diamond, Landscape, Isle, Twiddle, Intuition, Intuition). Sabre Bargain draws Rector, two Grim Monoliths, Tooth of Ramos, Yawgmoth's Will, Peat Bog, Remote Farm. Plays Lotus Petal and Mox Diamond (pitches Remote Isle). Pass.

SB: Draws Voltaic Key. Plays Remote Farm. AC casts Brainstorm EOT, drawing Stroke, Mind over Matter, Ancient Tomb. AC puts back Stroke and Blasted Landscape. Pass.

AC: Draws Blasted Landscape. Plays Intuition for Time Spiral, Twiddle targeting Academy, plays Time Spiral and gets there.

Game 2 (SB on the play)

Academy mulls Mana Vault, two Twiddles, Lotus Petal, Island, Isle, Stroke.

Academy keeps Island, Academy, Remote Isle, Time Spiral, Mox Diamond.

Sabre Bargain mulls seven without any way to find Bargain into two Plains, Monolith, Rector, Will, Skirge Familiar.

SB: Plains. Pass.

AC: Draws Lotus Petal. Plays Academy, Diamond, pitches Isle, plays Petal. Pass.

SB: Draws Soul Feast. Plays Plains, Monolith. Pass.

AC: Draws Intuition. Pass.

SB: Draws Voltaic Key. Plays Rector, Key. AC plays Intuition for Mana Vault EOT. Pass.

AC: Draws Remote Isle, plays Mana Vault and Time Spiral. Draws Intuition, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Scroll Rack, Isle, Mind over Matter. Plays Petal, Brass, Mana Vault, Scroll Rack, and Intuition for Time Spiral and gets there.

Academy doesn't sideboard.

SB boards: +4 Duress, -1 Skirge Familiar, -1 Renounce, -1 Tooth of Ramos, -1 Plains

Game 3

Academy mulls two Strokes, Windfall, Island, Landscape, Vault, Key.

Academy keeps Brainstorm, Landscape, Windfall, Isle, Stroke.

Sabre Bargain keeps Plains, Swamp, Duress, Bargain, Rector, Will, Vampiric Tutor.

SB: Swamp, Duress (takes Windfall). Pass.

AC: Draws Mox Diamond. Diamond (pitches Isle), Brainstorm drawing Academy, Petal, Time Spiral, puts Stroke and Time Spiral back. Plays Academy and Lotus Petal. Pass.

SB: Draws Plains and plays it. Pass.

AC: Draws Time Spiral. Brainstorm, draws Intuition, Intuition, Stroke, puts back Stroke and Intuition. Plays Landscape. SB plays Vamp Tutor for Phyrexian Tower EOT. Pass.

SB: Draws Phyrexian Tower and plays it. Pass. EOT AC plays Intuition for Mana Vault.

AC: Draws Lotus Petal, plays Mana Vault and Time Spiral, getting there.

Academy advances 3–0.

In a goldfish match, the faster deck wins; what a shocker!

Goblin Bidding vs. Heartbeat

Game 1 (Goblin Bidding on the play)

Bidding keeps two Prospectors, Incinerator, Sledder, Swamp, Mire, Piledriver.

Heartbeat mulls a risky seven (Muddle, Invoke, two Islands, Train of Thought, STE, Heartbeat) and keeps a risky six (two Islands, Reach, Harvest, two Remands).

GB: Mire into Mountain, Prospector. Pass.

HE: Draws Island and plays it. Pass.

GB: Draws City of Brass and plays it, Piledriver, and attacks. Pass.

HE: Draws STE. Plays Island. Pass.

GB: Draws City of Brass and plays it alongside Sledder and Prospector. One of the two gets Remanded (HE draws Forest) and GB attacks for 4 (HE goes to 15). Pass.

HE: Draws Island. Plays Forest + STE. Pass.

GB: Draws Sledder. Cycles Incinerator at STE (which goes to fetch a Forest) and attacks for 10, then plays Sledder. Pass.

HE: Draws Muddle and scoops.

Game 2 (Heartbeat on the play)

Bidding keeps two Mountains, Mire, SGC, Sparksmith, Warchief, Sledder.

Heartbeat keeps two Islands, Remand, two Tops, Muddle, Early Harvest.

HE: Island, Top. Pass.

GB: Draws Mire. Plays Mountain + Sledder. Pass.

HE: Draws Island and plays it. Pass.

GB: Draws Swamp, plays Mire into Swamp, Sparksmith. HE Tops EOT revealing Heartbeat, Reach, E. Harvest, sending Reach to the top. Pass.

HE: Draws Kodama's Reach. Plays Island, Transmutes Muddle into Savage Twister. Pass.

GB: Draws Mountain. Mires into Mountain to plays Warchief and attacks (HE goes to 15). Pass.

HE: Draws Remand. HE Tops main phase, revealing Muddle, Remand, E. Harvest (Remand on top) and passes.

GB: Draws Mountain and plays it. SGC gets Remanded (HE draws Remand) and GB attacks for 4. Pass.

HE: Draws Muddle. Main phase Top reveals E. Harvest, Reach, Drift. HE puts back Harvest, Reach, Drift. Pass.

GB: Draws [unknown card]. GB plays SGC (which gets Remanded, HE draws Drift), and attacks for 4. Pass.

HE: Draws Reach and Tops main phase, and scoops.

Game 3

GB boards -2 Sharpshooter, -3 Bidding, +1 Incinerator, +4 Electrostatic Bolt

HE boards -2 Muddle, -2 Remand, -1 Top, +3 Caryatid, +2 Savage Twister

GB mulls one-lander, then mulls two Mountains, two Sharpshooters, Incinerator, Warchief into two Mountains, Swamp, Mire, Incinerator. That is mulliganed into Skullclamp, Warchief, Incinerator, Sharpshooter. GB goes to three, which is Swamp, Mountain, Prospector.

HE keeps three Forests, Island, Caryatid, Drift, Early Harvest.

HE: Forest. Pass.

GB: Draws Prospector. Plays Mountain, Prospector. Pass.

HE: Draws Heartbeat. Plays Forest. Pass.

GB: Draws Sparksmith. Swamp, Sparksmith. Pass.

HE: Draws Island and plays it, Caryatid (draws Reach). Pass.

GB: Draws Sharpshooter. Plays Prospector. Pass.

HE: Draws Heartbeat. Plays Island, Reach (Swamp to play, Island to hand). Heartbeat reveals two Heartbeats, Harvest, and Drift. GB scoops.

Game 4 (GB on the play)

GB mulls City of Brass, Mountain x2 Swamp, Sharpshooter, Warchief, EBolt.

GB keeps Mountain, Swamp, two EBolts, Sledder.

HE keeps two Forests, two Islands, STE, Reach, Heartbeat.

GB: Mountain, Sledder. Pass.

HE: Draws Maga, plays Forest. Pass.

GB: Draws Sparksmith. Plays Swamp and Sparksmith. Pass.

HE: Draws Island and plays it, STE. Pass.

GB: Draws Swamp. Plays EBolt on STE (sac to get Swamp) and Swamp. Attacks, Clamps Sparksmith, draws Mountain + Mire. Pass.

HE: Draws Mountain and plays it, Reach for 2 Forests. Pass.

GB: Draws Gempalm Incinerator. Plays Mountain, Incinerator, and Clamps it, drawing SGC and EBolt. Pass.

HE: Draws Island and plays it. Pass.

GB: Draws Mire. Plays Mire into Mountain and SGC. Attacks. Pass.

HE: Draws Drift of Phantasms. Plays Forest, Heartbeat. Transmutes Drift for Early Harvest. Harvest floating bb, Maga for 13. Pass.

GB: Draws Mountain. Plays Mire into Mountain. GB attacks for 4 (leaving SGC back), Maga eats Sledder (which pumps a token on its way out). GB Clamps token, draws Sledder and Mire. GB plays Sledder and Clamps another token, drawing Mountain and City of Brass. GB clamps the third token, drawing Warchief and Prospector, playing both, leaving Mountain + Swamp untapped. Pass.

HE: Draws Carven Caryatid. Plays Island, Caryatid (draws Kodama's Reach) and plays Reach (Island to play, Forest to hand). Pass.

GB: Draws City of Brass. Plays Mountain, clamp Prospector, Draws Sparksmith + Mountain. Sparksmith + E-Bolt takes down the Caryatid, and GB takes it.

GB advances 3–1.

Heartbeat got a tad unlucky with its draws in this match, but aggressive mulliganing by the Goblin player paid off. I felt like having a 1- or 2-drop would be absolutely crucial to being able to beat Heartbeat, and it was. Like I expected, this match was fairly close, and Heartbeat could have easily taken it with slightly better draws.

Bidding vs. Academy

Game 1 (Bidding on the play)

AC mulls two Academy, Lotus Petal, Mind over Matter, Twiddle, Stroke, Remote Isle.

AC keeps Academy, Remote Isle, Tomb, two Diamonds.

GB keeps two Sledders, Sparksmith, Sharpshooter, SGC, Mountain, City of Brass.

GB: Mountain, Sledder. Pass.

AC: Academy, Diamond (pitching Isle), Key. Pass.

GB: Draws Siege-Gang Commander. Plays City of Brass, attacks for 1, plays Sparksmith. Pass.

AC: Draws Island. Tomb, Diamond, pitches Island, pass.

GB: Draws Goblin Sledder and plays it. Attacks (AC goes to 17). AC casts Stroke EOT, drawing Windfall, MoM, Academy, two Islands. Pass.

AC: Draws Remote Isle. AC plays Academy, floats 3, and loses the second Academy (under old Legend rule). AC taps other Academy and plays Mind over Matter + Windfall, drawing Academy, Isle, Intuition. GB discards two SGCs + Sharpshooter and draws Warchief, Mountain, Mire. AC plays Intuition with the u floating, drawing Academy, Landscape, Intuition. AC puts back two Academy and burns for 1. Pass.

GB: Draws Goblin Sharpshooter. Plays Mountain, Warchief, attacks for 6 (AC goes to 6). Pass.

AC: Draws Academy and digs, but doesn't get there.

G2 (Academy on the play)

AC mulls Key, Petal, Isle, Island, Brass, Academy, Twiddle.

AC keeps Academy, City, Island, Mana Vault, Diamond, Intuition.

GB keeps three Mountains, Mire, Piledriver, Incinerator, Sharpshooter.

AC: Academy, Diamond (pitches City), Intuition, draws Windfall, Scroll Rack, Blasted Landscape, puts back Blasted Landscape and Island. Pass.

GB: Draws Gempalm Incinerator. Plays Mountain. Pass.

AC: Draws Blasted Landscape and plays it. Scroll Rack, Windfall, pass. AC draws three Island, Twiddle, Windfall, Landscape, Stroke. GB discards Piledriver, two Incinerators, two Mountains, Sharpshooter, Mire, drawing two Mountains, Swamp, Bidding, Clamp, Sledder, SGC. Pass.

GB: Draws City of Brass. Plays Mountain, Clamp, Sledder. Pass.

AC: Draws Mind over Matter and plays it, discarding Stroke of Genius to MoM and playing Stroke for 16. Pass.

AC boards -1 Rescind, -1 Key, -2 Twiddle, +2 Blue Blast, +2 Hydroblast

GB boards -4 SGC, -3 Patriarch's Bidding, +4 Echoing Ruin, +2 Culling Scales, +1 Gempalm Incinerator.

Game 3 (GB on the play)

AC mulls two Strokes, Intuition, Mind over Matter, Windfall, Tomb, Island.

AC keeps Windfall, Hydroblast, Time Spiral, Intuition, Petal, Isle.

GB keeps three Mountains, Skullclamp, Ruin, Incinerator, Sharpshooter.

GB: Mountain, Clamp. Pass.

AC: Draws Intuition. Remote Isle. Pass.

GB: Draws Sledder. Plays Mountain, Sledder and Clamps it (draws Mire, Swamp). Pass.

AC: Draws Mind over Matter. Plays Intuition, drawing Lotus Petal, Windfall, Mind over Matter (puts back two Mind over Matter). Pass.

GB: Draws Culling Scales. Plays Mountain, Incinerator. Pass.

AC: Draws Mind over Matter. Lotus Petal, pass.

GB: Draws Bloodstained Mire, plays it and cracks for Mountain. Plays Culling Scales. Pass.

AC: Draws Mind over Matter. Plays Intuition, draws Mana Vault, City of Brass, Blasted Landscape. Put back Mind over Matter x2. Plays City of Brass. Pass.

GB: Culling Scales blows up Petal. Draws Goblin Warchief. Plays Mire into Mountain, then Warchief, which gets Hydroblasted. GB attacks for 2. Pass.

AC: Draws Mind over Matter. Plays Landscape, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Time Spiral. AC draws Island, Landscape, BEB, Mind over Matter, Intuition, Mox Diamond, Windfall. Mox Diamond discarding Landscape. Blue Elemental Blast on Incinerator, Windfall. AC draws Intuition x2, Time Spiral, Intuition, Landscape, Island, Petal. GB draws Skullclamp, Prospector, Echoing Ruin, Mountain, Mire, City of Brass, Sharpshooter. Pass.

GB: Upkeep blows up Diamond. Draws Prospector. Plays Mire into Mountain, Prospector, Prospector, Skullclamp, Echoing Ruin on Mana Vault. Pass.

AC: Draws City of Brass. Island, Intuition, draws Mox Diamond, Intuition, Island. Put back City of Brass and Blasted Landscape. Pass.

GB: Upkeep clamp dies. Draws Echoing Ruin. Plays Mountain, attacks for 2 (AC goes to 11). Plays Sharpshooter and clamp Prospector (draws Warchief and Incinerator). Plays Warchief. EOT AC plays Intuition for Academy. Pass.

AC: Draws Ancient Tomb. Academy, Diamond pitch Island, Petal. Intuition for Mana Vault, Time Spiral draws Mind over Matter and Stroke and AC gets there.

Game 4 (GB on the play)

AC mulls two Academy, two Intuitions, Mind over Matter, BEB, Remote Isle.

AC keeps City of Brass, Blasted Landscape, Time Spiral, Stroke, BEB.

GB keeps three Sledders, Ruin, Incinerator, Mountain, Swamp.

GB: Mountain, Sledder. Pass.

AC: Draws Scroll Rack. Plays City of Brass. Pass.

GB: Draws Skullclamp. Plays Swamp, Sledder, Skullclamp, attacks. Pass.

AC: Draws City of Brass. Plays Landscape + Scroll Rack. Pass.

GB: Draws Incinerator. Attacks (AC goes to 16), plays Sledder and Clamps it (draws Sharpshooter and Sparksmith). Pass.

AC: Draws Remote Isle. Racks for 4, puts back Isle, City, Stroke, Time Spiral. Draws Mana Vault, Stroke, Intuition, Time Spiral. Academy, pass.

GB: Attacks for 2 and Clamps a Sledder (draws Mountain, Skullclamp). Mountain, Sparksmith. Intuition EOT to draw City, Spiral, Stroke, puts back Stroke and Spiral. Pass.

AC: Draws Spiral. Plays City, Vault, Spiral. Time Spiral draws Lotus Petal, Twiddle, two Academy, Mana Vault, Intuition, Mind over Matter. Intuition, draws Time Spiral, Windfall, Mana Vault. AC drops its mana and Time Spiral doesn't brick.

Academy advances 3–1.

Goblin Bidding performed surprisingly well. Echoing Ruin and Culling Scales proved to be very effective at slowing Academy down in Game 3, although Bidding did lose the game. It is possible that if the Bidding player had chosen to cast Echoing Ruin on Scroll Rack in Game 4 instead of putting down more pressure, Academy would have lost that game. In the end, though, Academy crushes the North Bracket, as I expected it would.

Chingsung Chang

Conelead most everywhere and on MTGO

Khan32k5@gmail.com

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