SCG Open Baltimore 12/1/12- 12/2/12

I attended both days of the Star City Games (SCG) Open Series held in my birthplace, Baltimore Maryland.

First, I would like to point out that this was my first SCG event.  The vendor (Star City Games) was average, catering to Standard and Legacy players, but not to EDH or Foil-enthusiasts (as they did not bring any Foil or Oversized cards with them)

The artists were excellent. I found time to meet with and purchase from most of them.  I even got my Grimgrin oversized foils transformed into a 3-D alter (by combining 3 of the cards) by Lindsay Burley.  I purchased a very nice playmat from Noah Bradley, and purchased some art prints from Cynthia Sheppard.

Now, on to the games:

DAY 1: Standard:  I took the updated Jund Juggernaut.

Round 1: Tyler Eldrad with U/W Flash
This is a good matchup for me.  Tyler seemed to have problems piloting the deck as his decisions seemed to take a long time.  Unsummon and Azorious Charm are not value cards against Thragtusk...
2-0

Round 2: Matt Mercer with B/R Big Zombies
In an odd coincidence, I was texting with a friend between rounds about this deck and how I did not expect to see it.  In the first game I was utterly destroyed as I kept a weak hand.
In game two, I had to mulligan down to five, and even then I had no land.  I had just performed my first Farseek to get to three land before I was killed.
0-2

Round 3: Christian Harris with Junk Tokens (a version that had Angel of Serenity and Thragtusks)
I did not expect to see Angel of Serenity in his deck.  In my notes, I put down that I made several mistakes in this game.  I do not recall them off hand, but I can safely assume that the match was lost due to my own mistakes.
0-2

Round 4: Mike Skinner with Junk Midrange
In game one Mike had to Mulligan to five cards and it was a short game.  He took game two as I had not sideboarded and was still unsure what he was playing.  In game three I hit him with Slaughter Games and removed all of his Thragtusks, I was then able to get through enough damage with creature advantage.
2-1

Round 5: Graylon Wright with G/W Humans
Graylon was on the play game one and trampled over me.  I think I tend to keep hands weak to aggro matchups.
In game two he came out to a quick start.  He dropped Thalia on turn 3 and I was one mana short of wiping the board because of her.  I lost without playing a spell.
0-2

At 2-3, I decided to drop and join a commander pod.  Nine pods had happened already and I was the first one in pod ten.  I waited two rounds and no other players showed up.  So, I dipped out.

At the end of day one I was 2-0, 0-2, 0-2, 2-1, 0-2 for a combined 4-7.  I am not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed in myself with those results.  I could have done better, but I could have also done worse.

DAY 2: Legacy:  I took the only legacy deck I own, Maverick.  I have recently been experimenting with replacing the single Stoneforge Mystic with Thrun, the Last Troll.  I was so pleased with Thrun that I decided to make the replacement permanent.

Round 1: Shawn French with U/W Stoneblade Miracles
I was unable to get Gaddock Teeg, Thalia, or a Knight of the Reliquary going in either game.  I also set myself nicely for a 5-1 Terminus hit  (a Knight, a Pridemage, a Dryad Arbor, and 2 Noble Hierarchs) leaving me with a single Savannah facing down a Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
0-2

Round 2: Zack Mullin with Sneak and Show
Zack went on to make the Top 8.  Great job Zack!
Our games went thusly.
Game one: Turn 2 Emrakul.
Game two: Turn 3 Emrakul (via Sneak Attack)
So, both Emrakuls attacked in turn three and wiped me out.
In game two, I had Karakas out and bounced Emrakul before combat.  Zack dropped a Lotus Petal and replayed it.  I have no defense against draws of that caliber.
0-2

[At this point in the day, I decided I would drop when I got loss number three]

Round 3: Billy Clifford with Nic-Fit
I am very unfamiliar with the deck "Nic-Fit", it just looked to me like a homebrew.  I may have made some errors, but was otherwise able to get control in two games leaning on the backs of Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Rafiq of the Many. (The latter of which, I windmill slammed onto the table)
2-1

Round 4: Ben Sturtz with RUG Delver
In game one, Ben got a bit flooded and I was able to get a big enough Knight of the Reliquary to push through Tarmogoyf and Nimble Mongoose.
In game two Ben flipped an early Delver and I could not find a removal spell or flier.
In game three Ben got a little flooded, ending the game with three lands in hand.  2-1

Round 5: Trevor Humphries with Goblins (green splash for Tin Street Hooligan)
In game one, I dropped out Linvala, Keeper of Silence on turn three, which shut off most of his synergy.  I was able to keep the Lackeys under control with Mother of Runes.
In game two he hit 4/4 with Goblin Ringleader and finally dropped Krenko to seal the beats.
In game three I got out an early Thrun, the Last Troll.  In the following turn, I equipped him with Umezawa's Jitte.  He played a Goblin Matron to grab Tin Street Hooligan, but was not able to cast it.  On my turn I used two Wastelands to destroy his Taiga and his Cavern of Souls.
2-1

Round 6: John Gatza with RUG Delver.
So, this matchup is very good for me.  In game one I got out an early Thrun, the Last Troll who has no problem swinging into Tarmogoyf or Nimble Mongoose, especially when he gets a few Exalted triggers.
In game two I got out an early Sigarda, Host of Herons.  The game ended when I cast a Green Sun's Zenith for four and grabbed Rafiq so that Sigarda could swing for fourteen in the air.  John was bemused, I was just glad he was not playing Storm.
2-0

I want to mention that Sunday evening the Baltimore ravens were set to play against the Pitsburgh Steelers in Baltimore, one half-mile from the convention center.  Between rounds Nick and I were able to have some beer when we semi-crashed a tailgate party.  I feel like this fueled my comeback streak.
So, after round 6, Nick and I are both 4-2.  Nick convinces me to drop and go to a local sports bar.  I feel like an asshole dropping after a win in which my opponent dropped, but I agreed.

At the end of DAY 2 I am 0-2, 0-2, 2-1, 2-1, 2-1, 2-0 for a combined 8-7.  Pretty close to .500.  Unlike standard, I know how I feel about this record.  The answer is very damn proud of myself and my deck.  Thrun, Sigarda, and Rafiq have the ability to take over games by themselves and I LOVE having them in the deck.

In summary, I guess I am disappointed, but not surprised, about how I fared in Standard.  I am very pleased with how I did in Legacy and will likely be practicing more on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday I have the degenerate EDH tournament.

Until next time.