2019-01-05 The Nerd Store Modern 2-3 with 8 rack

8 rack

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1562469#paper

• 1 Ensnaring Bridge in the main, 1 BLR
• SB: 3 Surgicals back in, 1 EE
• SB: Trimmed Fulminators to 3 from 4. Generally powerful, but maybe just ditch them for something else? Kind of just want to give up on the Tron/big mana matchups.
• $40 modern win-a-box event, figured I'd try it with the deck I'm moderately familiar with, and is moderately powerful

R1 vs Evan on UWC (0-2, 0-1)
In the blind, I decide to take the play. Shouldn't have done that. I Thoughtseize turn 1, and he realizes that he drew 8 cards. We apply the comp REL fix despite the event not technically being comp, but I misplay and take Cryptic instead of the correct choice of D Sphere. The actual Thoughtseize goes after his Surgical. He's heavy on Jaces, and eventually finds a planeswalker to draw a ton of cards.
Game 2 I misplay - I see his hand, know that he's on 3 lands + 1 Jace, and have a Fulminator out.
I see the line, think about it, then get greedy and decide to turn my brain off?

R2 vs Zach on foil Jund (1-2, 0-2)
He takes the play. The foil Blackcleave Cliffs into foil IoK should have tipped me off, but whatever. Goyfs vs no Push & I lose.
Game 2 I get, mostly off the power of Smallpox.
Game 3 I keep a hand with 3x Smallpox, which gets Inquisitioned into Surgical Extraction.
Found a Bridhge in one or two of the games, but got destroyed.

R3 vs Crit on GB (0-2, 0-3)
I know Crit, we're both 0-2, and I correctly take the draw. Games are close but Scavenging Ooze saves him both times, along with the maindecked Kalitas Traitor of Ghet. Mispressured in game 1 - should have swung Mutavault at LtLH instead of face a couple times.

R4 vs Eddie on Bogles (2-0, 1-3)
Game 1 he turn 1s a Dryad Arbor. I look down at my hand, see some discard and Smallpox, and I think he concedes after a second Smallpox / some Lili -2s
Game 2 I have Smallpox and Liliana again, while he has no t0 Leyline of Sanctity. Quickly over.

R5 vs Jeremy on UR Pyromancer/Thing (2-1, 2-3)
edit: was basically the decklist on https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/ptrix/deck-tech-ur-pyromancer-vierens-2018-02-03
Game 1 I'm able to keep him off any action, and take him down. He flooded pretty bad iirc
Game 2 I lose to uh... I forget? Some timely counterspells, and mis-sequencing on my part.
Game 3 I take.
Overall, I don't think he understood the matchup properly, though he did do some nice Snapcaster Mage tricks in repsonse to discard spells (targeting Opt, EoTing Opt), doing in response to Smallpox to save TitI, etc. I say that he doesn't understand the matchup since he tried to jam Thing on turn 2 every game, and one time I followed with an IoK to take an Ancestral Visions, which would have ruined me.

Reflections:

• Definitely could have won round 1 if I were utilizing my brain properly.
• What could I have done better? Uh, round 1 mostly. Midrange in rounds 2 and 3 both just had better topdecks than me. I tend to keep a lot of hands without a Rack effect in hand, and I think I should be prioritizing those more since I do need win-cons.
• Saw more answers to E Bridge than I expected, so it ended up not being as impactful/game-ending as I had hoped. Saw it in quite a few games though for a one-of.
• I've been swapping decks way too often, and with GP/MF Toronto coming up, I should really start practicing reps with one deck. I'm thinking Dredge.