Introduction
Nominally this event is Modern, but it's run as pseudo-regular Rules Enforcement Level due to the Secret Lair mechanic. This is problematic, since there aren't the same safeguards in place that one expects for events that award three-five figures worth of prizing.- Been watching some locals pilot this deck. Looks simple enough, you have a couple of axes to play on - Frog and reanimation mainly, with Solitude+Ephemerate as a side synergy. Variety of interaction between Thoughtseize, counterspells, Solitude, even some Prismatic Ending.
- I based my list off this Alakai list. Mix of removal and threats, not too cute with reanimation targets. Has Fallaji Archaelogist.
- Deck can grind a bit but not naturally, since it relies on refilling your hand with a Goryo's
- Goryo's is ideally a T3+ play since you want to be able to Ephemerate your fatty.
Swiss
- R1 Grayson Nemets on GR Broodscale LL (0-1)
Kind of got owned - he put out a continuous stream+variety of threats that I'm unprepared to answer. - R2 Kinan Abouzelam on Neoform LWW (1-1)
G1 I'm confused by a turn 1 Disciple of Freyalise as land drop (aka Garden of Freyalise)
He mentions that he considers my archetype to be one of his worst matchups, presumably due to the countermagic options.
G3 is the crazy one. I have to mulligan to 5, manage to counter a Neoform, chipping away at him with a Psychic Frog and having a Teferi out. Then he Neoforms into Ureni the Song Unending, which has protection from white and black. I eat an attack for 11 (10 + 1 from Neoform). He casts an extra Hooting Mandrills as insurance. I jump my Psychic Frog and attack to draw a card - Mandrills doesn't have reach. Pass turn at 5 life.
With me at 5, he swings Mandrills into my Teferi and Ureni (11, remember) at my face.
In hand I have exactly 3 cards. Griselbrand, Goryo's Vengeance, Ephemerate. With exactly those cards, I pitch Griselbrand, reanimate it, living at 1 life, then Ephemerate it to have lethal next turn. - R3 Oliver Voegeli on Amulet Titan WLW (2-1)
G1 and G3 I have the nuts. T2 Frog T3 reanimate Atraxa in both games as I recall. In one of them, Atraxa misses Ephemerate then Frog hit flips it.
G2, I play loose allowing a Dismember to fully resolve on Psychic Frog without discarding my reanimation target. Immediately topdeck Goryo's Vengeance. - R4 Robert Pompa on BW Blink LL (2-2)
Nothing much to write here. G1 he gets a Phelia down and makes a bit of value while I do nothing.
G2 I keep a 5 lander with a Thoughtseize, figuring I don't want to mulligan much vs a Thoughtseize deck.
T1 Thoughtseize him and see a triple Thoughtseize hand okay. Doesn't matter die anyways.
Concluding Thoughts
- Made top 16, which is good for a non-foil Lightning Bolt promo. Plus Grayson goes undefeated so I pocket a second non-foil Lightning Bolt. Sell those off to a vendor and my trip is paid for.
- Over the course of the weekend, lost a good bit to BW or Esper Midrange/Blink varieties.
Not sure whether to keep/board out Thoughtseizes, and play the matchups in general. - Got stalled out in one of the weekend's Secret Lair Spectaculars by a well-known pro/ex-pro player. That was ugly. tl;dr they thought I won G1, so they stalled out G2 to try and win in sudden death. Except I lost G1, then won G2 and we went to sudden death. I board incorrectly for sudden death (should be fetches out, all white cards to go for double Solitude) and die to T3 triple Amulet nonsense.
