9/29/12 Return to Ravnica Pre-Release!

Eric and I attended the "Return to Ravnica" Pre-Release that was held at Xanadu Games in Baltimore, MD.
I did not pre-register for any specific Guild; I was offered the choice of Rakdos or Selesnya.  Since I tend to favor aggressive decks, I picked Rakdos.

The promo card was Carnival Hellsteed, a 5/4 Haste, First Strike, with Unleash for 4RB.
So, not a terrible aggro card.  I did not actually care much for Rakdos Charm, so I did not use it.
Two of the rares that I opened were playable (Desecration Demon and Corpsejack Menace)

I built the following 60 card deck (yes, 60 cards.  You read that correctly.)

Creatures(23)
Archweaver
Gatecreeper Vine
Korozda Monitor
Gore-House Chainwalker x2
Splatter Thug x2
Thrill-Kill Assassin
Dead Reveler
Dark Revenant
Sewer Shambler
Drainpipe Vermin
Desecration Demon
Spawn of Rix Maadi x2
Slitherhead x2
Sluiceway Scorpion
Rakdos Cackler
Rakdos Shred-Freak
Rix Maadi Guildmage
Carnival Hellsteed
Corpsejack Menace

Removal(8)
Street Spasm
Explosive Impact
Electrickery
Launch Party x3
Stab Wound
Auger Spree

Tricks(5)
Giant Growth
Dynacharge
Skull Rend x2
Golgari Charm

Land(24)
Swamp x10
Mountain x7
Forest x4
Rakdos Guildgate
Transguils Promenade
Rogue's Passage

Round 1: Adam playing Azorious

Adam did not have a good day, I recognized him from playing at Gotham Comics in Westminster, MD.  His deck was creature-light and his combat tricks involved "Detaining" one of my creatures.  I simply had too many threats for him to deal with.

(2-0)

Round 2: Matt (the Judge of the Event) playing Rakdos

In game one I had to mulligan to five cards.  I got crushed by two Rakdos Shred-Freaks.  In game two I rebounded with the Carnival Hellsteed and some pressure.  In game 3 it really came down to draws.  Matt got out his Hellsteed, unleashed it and attacked.  I Launch partied my Gatekreeper Vine at him and then cast Descration Demon.  I top decked an Auger Spree for the final 10 points of damage.

(2-1)

Round 3: Forgot his name playing Selesnya.

Since I finished Round 2 early, I went out and got some beers.  I was a little buzzed for round 3 and made some mistakes, like unleashing when I should not have and attacking into instant speed "populates".  Despite his colors, my opponents deck was surprisingly aggressive.  Green has a 1G drop 3/1 Vigilance creature.  In the end it was the 8/8 Vigilant Token that did me in.

(1-2)

Round 4: Forgot his name as well playing Golgari.  My opponent opened a Lotleth Troll.  I had no answer to a fully pumped (7/6) troll.  I stole game one from him, but the troll clobbered me in game 2, single-handedly.
In game three, my opponent erred when he tapped out to "Scavenge" four +1/+1 counters onto the troll.  I threw him a Launch Party with an "Unleashed" Rakdos Shred-Freak.  Carnival Hellsteed came out and swung for the win.

(2-1)

Round 5: At this point my opponent and I are both 3-1.  Prizes are paid out on W/L/D and not on standing, we both decided to Intentionally Draw (as did a number of others).  (ID)

Conclusion:  I finished 2-0, 2-1, 1-2, 2-1, draw for a 3-1-1 record.
I was lucky to get enough stuff to play 3 colors and to be able to curve out relatively reliably even with 60 cards.  Getting a Corpsejack Menace (the promo for Golgari) did not hurt either as it worked VERY well with "Scavenge" and "Unleash".
I walked away with 5 packs.  I opened an Abrupt Decay, a Cyclonic Rift, an Overgrown Tomb, and a Sphinxes Revelation.  I definitely got my moneys worth.

Until next time.