Week 12 (1/11/2022) 2HD
Game 1
Ryan – Marisi | Sean – Lathril vs. Alex – Edgar | Keegan – Locust God
The addicts are back! We had to postpone last week due to a double Covid protocol from Sean and Alex. But we are back with a full pod and paired up in to do our two headed-giant that happens roughly every three weeks. We decided to do splits based on yearly record now since it was easy, so that was how we got our pairings. There was no new commanders making an appearance, but there were definitely some heavy hitters at the table. Unfortunately Marisi was obsolete in her goading in the format, but the random decks will do that.
Ryan hit a landless hand and took the ‘ol Shandalar mulligan, which both Sean and Keegan followed suit with. Keegan ended up having to take his free mulligan as well. Sean and Ryan won the die roll and went first.
The vampire train stops for no one, and it left the station on T1. Alex went Swamp –> Mana Crypt –> Yahenni, Undying Partisan. Which of course netted a 1/1 vampire, thank you to whoever designed that mechanic at Wizards. He was able to start beating on an open board (Ryan aint blocking with a Llanowar Elves) as well.
T2 brought about a Cultivate from Ryan who was already accelerating off of his T1 Llanowar Elves. Sean hit a Priest of Titania which put an instant target on his back. An on curve priest forced addicts into church, which they hate. All the wine is watered down they say. This play triggered Alex’s PTSD from playing premodern against Keegan; and he snapped a top decked Swords to Plowshares at the priest. Again Yahenni got the beats in.
Ryan was itching for some more mana and casted a Kodama’s Reach on T3, which was followed up by a Norwood Priestess on T4. Sean dropped a T3 elf that let you do the same as Priest (can’t remember the name, but they’re all the same ffs), which Alex responded with a Lightning Bolt to kill it. Alex followed this up with a T4 drop of big daddy Edgar. You all may be wondering what Keegan was doing during this time? It was looting with Bag of Holding, countering a Primal Vigor, and looting some more. He also ended up dropping a Psychic Corrosion which sent the other side oft the table spiraling.
Sean was not happy with his mental state getting altered, so he dropped a Reclamation Sage on T5 blowing that ghastly enchantment up. It needs to be noted that Keegan had a FAT bag of holding that most likely was a better target. PTSD is real folks. Casually Alex dropped a Malakir Bloodwitch, which drained both Ryan and Sean for 7 a piece. This, plus an onslaught from the Vampire legion beatdown put them down to 5 life.
T6 rolled around and Ryan and Sean had two lethal flyers that they could not deal with, and decided to scoop to not drag the game out. This gave Alex and Keegan the game, as well as a T6 win for Edgar. Sheesh.
Game 2
Ryan – Mangara | Sean – Kaalia (Nat 20) vs. Alex – Korvold | Keegan – Dina
Our second installment of the night saw our tanned diplomat making his first appearance in league so far. Hailing from the plains of Mirage, he is a diplomat that specializes in white card draw. As well as lifegain for his legions of beaters. Did I describe a diplomat or a military ruler?
Alex went to 6 on mulligans, and that even includes a Shandalar mulligan. Sean used his Shandy and free mulligan as well. Alex and Keegan won the die roll and elected to go first.
Keegan kicked off the game with a T1 Sol Ring he ripped off the top of the deck. Alex also has a Witch’s Oven. Let us just get Alex out of the way here. He is a class a muppet who lost some wrinkles with his Korvold play today. He could not find a hand he liked, and settled on a 2 land hand that had some early game plays. He kept what he thought was a Mountain and a Wooded Foothills. Well it turned out that he actually kept a Mountain and a Stomping Ground. Proxies, even nice ones, can be a bitch folks. So with the first major blunder out the way, he also kept the hand because it had a Carpet of Flowers in his hand. Exceedingly powerful card in most games of EDH. But not this one, for none of his opponents were playing a deck that had blue in it. We have received reports that Ferrari and Aston Martin have offered his brain a job at their factories putting the final buff and polish on their cars due to it being the smoothest object known to man.
With Alex missing land drops from T3 through 6, Keegan had to try and pull the weight. He was able to kill a Jeweled Lotus turbo Mangara, as well as an on curve Kaalia. But his deck provided only one swamp for the rest of the game and essentially put him out to pasture. He was able to get a Revenge of Ravens out which slowed the bleeding immensely over the early game. A true sleeper in our meta that card is.
Sean and Ryan on the other hand were operating fine. Sean saw a T5 Baneslayer Angel (most gorgeous art in magic?), as well as a T6 Kaalia recast. This was swiftly followed up by Sephara, Sky’s Blade and Aegis Angel as protection for her.
Alex tried to get some late momentum, but by the time he was starting to get online it was far too late. Sean had the beatdown and lethal in the air with only Korvold as a blocker. Sean and Ryan were able to swiftly mop up the win.
Game 3
Ryan – Atraxa | Sean – Edgar vs. Alex – Zaxara | Keegan – Omnath
The final game of the night was a showcase of Keegan’s current rotation decks, as well as the fated rivalry between Alex and Zaxara. A new face in the fold was Atraxa. She is not a planeswalker deck. She is not a +1/+1 matters deck. She is not an infect deck. She is a sol ring deck. As the apostle Keegan said; “Sol Ring is love, Sol Ring is life”
Keegan ended up taking a mulligan to 6, rounding out the hat trick of Shandalar mulligans as well. Ryan and Sean win the die roll to go first.
Right out the gates Sean is playing for keeps, dropping a Stoneforge Masterwork. Keegan’s alter ego, Val Gina, took over on his first turn and he did not shock in a Breeding Pool. T2 we saw a Knight of the Ebon Legion make an appearance for Sean. Alex dropped in a Birds of Paradise and Keegan and some friends made Three Visits to a child born to a celestial virgin.
Turn 4 Alex air dropped an early Muldrotha, the Gravetide, allowing him to continall play a Terramorphic Expanse. T5 we saw Edgar make an appearance from Sean, Ryan plopped down Atraxa and Soul Warden.
This is basically where the game stopped. And I am serious about that. My only notes over the next roughly 10-12 turns was this: “Game stall due to double (Keegan and Ryan) Ghostly Prison. Eternity Vessel (Keegan) @ 64.” Once those pieces were down, it became a pure stalemate. Alex must have played Vivian, Champion of the Wilds 7 times. It became the ultimate form of brinkmanship, it taught me more about the Cold War in 45 minutes than Brian Burychka taught me in an entire year. Every turn another nuke was built and moved 25 miles closer to the enemies borders.
Eventually, Ryan invaded Cuba when he sacrificed a Sterling Grove to tutor up an Aura Shards. This started picking of important defenses from Alex and Keegan like the Eternity Vessel, Sandwurm Convergence, and Ascetism. Ryan was making multiple Atraxa’s a turn using Helm of the Host and Parallel Lives. His unblockable beatdown was starting when he recurred his Sterling Grove and sacrificed it to get a Sword of Body and Mind.
But let me tell you folks, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. Off of the mill 10, on card 9, Alex milled Freed from the Real, his wincon. Using his naked Muldrotha he was able to recur it and stick it onto Zaxara, who swiftly cast Chadwick, the Wizend from his graveyard and drew his deck. The big banger this turn was going to be Praetor’s Counsel from Keegan, but the instead the Nightmare Hydra ate Ryan’s dreams with a Mind Grind for a million. His next draw step meant death, and the game was concluded.
A very funny hijinx was Ryan moving to combat with Atraxa and Alex saying “Please swing at us”. To this Sean replied: “This may be us walking into a trap. Or he just wants it to end”. Both of these were true statements, and both came true lol.