I just got back from winning Detroit's Midwest Masters with Jund. Yes, tyranny persists lol. I lost my first round and then won the next 10 matches in a row to claim my glory.
Ugh, apparently going 5-2 at FNM makes me lose 2 points in my total rating. I may need to stop drafting at fnm due to variance in making me risk losing a single match lol.
So a poor man approached me with word that extendo sigs would soon be deleted. Naturally in horror, I had to give homage to my own extendo sig. by means of reposting it here so that it may live on.
After at least making it to the finals in the last three 8-4 drafts I have done I have come to a couple observations after today.
1) everyone and their grandmother is playing green. In the first draft I did today I took first pick Living Tsunami, second pick Oracle of Mul Daya. I was taking green fairly aggressively, but passed a few playables to where sure, maybe there was another player in green too. After my first victory, I scouted my opposition and saw that 3 other people were playing green, 1 was mono red, 1 was mono white, 1 was bw and the other was some urb creation. Half of the table was playing green, which essentially means that green is up there with red and black, if not surpassing one of them. Surakar Marauders are mysterious going later so start looking into rb again people, because the pros are ruining it for the rest of us who were enjoying our green decks.
2. I did two drafts today. The first one, I reached the semifinals with UG and played against a red deck. I won the first game and in the second had a slow start, needing to harrow on my main phase on turn 3 and possibly 4 as well to make sure I could play my spells. He didn't take advantage of this very well as he didn't play too much other than a Kazuul Warlord. We traded some blows betwixt my Tsunami and his warlord. I had glorious plans of playing out my Oracle, a second tsunami, and a windrider eel or two when he composed an awkward turn for our hero as he played a Tuk tuk grunts, followed by a Highland berserker, making his team huge. I have to chump block once, but then got out a Roil Elemental to steal his Berserker so I could chump block a 6/6, swing in the air and win next turn. He unfortunately had Mark of Mutiny to steal the game. Dream crushed.
Game 3, I start out fairly well and he also lays a couple guys down. We are racing and I decide that if I swing with 2 fliers and play a blocker then I can win next turn. He plays Mark of Mutiny to deal me exactly 7 damage to kill me. How could I fall to the same bad luck two games in a row?
I then decided to do another draft as I still had some packs to use anyway. I opened a rather weak pack, but decided to take a Nissa's Chosen first and try green out again. I was passed some welken turns and pretty soon I was trying out UG again. 3 Chosen, 2 Tern, and several other aggressive picks later and I had a deck destined to take me to 8 packs. As soon as my opponent played a T1 Caller of the Gales, I was even more pleased since my hand was acceptable, but slow. They ten put adventuring gear on it and soon enough I am taking 3 a turn from Caller of the Gales haha. My deck is simply feeding me more and more lands, but I am able to stabilize. I once again do the math and decide that with an attack all out, I can kill him next turn and even if he has removal, he won't be able to kill me without a haste creature or a 2nd burst lightning; both of which he would have played earlier if he had them. He topdecks Goblin Ruinblaster to deal me exactly my life total of 6.
Game 2 my deck doesn't perform too fantastic, but I grind one out with a Timbermaw Larva. This game I was highly aware of ruinblaster coming in for lethal and had to leave an extra blocker back until he could deal with larva. He couldnt and lost.
Game 3 I mull to 6, but start out with a t2 Tern and we are racing. I have a larva again and force his ruinblaster to chump to stay alive. He isn't playing too much, but neither am I as I draw 3 Islands in a row. I finally draw something in a territorial baloth, but he Cancels it. All he has left is a Welken Turn and I have a welken turn to block. He has 2 adventuring gear out that he can't use too well due to being at 6 and then 3 following my attack. With his ruinblaster gone, I once again leave it to the all mighty power of the topdeck to determine my fate. He draws a Goblin bushwacker, kicks it, equipts the 2 gear and swing through my helpless welken turn to hit me for exactly lethal damage.
I'm not one to attribute losses always to another particular fortune in games this close as I would generally think I should have foresaw the possibilities; however, accepting that I put myself in a winning position each time barring the draw It was probably acceptable.
Take home message, be aware that everyone is drafting green and be ready for mark of mutiny to ruin your day if you are below 10
After years of rolling with the same boring avatar, I have decided that I needed a new one that makes people respect me and take notice when I start laying down the law. After I found one of high class I crafted a custom title to push through the message I felt necessary to convey. You're welcome world.
Well so far I have attended 2 ptqs this year and played 5CC in both. The first one was in Detroit where I took 9th, going 6-1-1. The next one I attended was in Columbus where I took 27th, going 5-2-1.