Week five of Team Draft Week Season One. We played at my studio in Williamsburg. Forker’s studio needed a break and Kadar’s is filled with dust.
ScryDucks (Brock, Forker, Jones)
played Jung Gunz (Tan, Barash, Heppding).
I drafted UB flyers. My curve was pretty even though two Sips were my only removal. I had Arbiter of the Ideal (only got to play one Fleshmad Steed for free) and Whip of Erebos.
The Bident of Thassa I got pretty late pack two didn’t make it into my deck. “This isn’t a Bident deck,” Kadar told me. I agreed with him.
Random round one pairings sat me across from Zach. Zach almost always beats me in Limited. I’m not certain I’ve ever beaten him.
Zach didn’t know I was shooting photos yet when I snapped this gem.
Zach scooped game one when he had only red lands and I cast Disciple of Phenax. There was a card in his hand he didn’t want me to see and I was beating him down badly enough that there wasn’t much of a chance he’d win anyway.
I kept score on small paper plates I have in my studio. They usually get turned into UFOs for video shoots or because I want to make a UFO.
No part of my memory is dedicated to what happened game two. I stomped him. He was mana flooded or color screwed or something. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from these games is that my deck has too many forests or not enough forests,” Zach said. He must’ve had a lot of forests game two.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve beaten you in Limited,” I said to Zach.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. We laughed. Later he admitted that I’ve beaten him in Limited before.
Next up, after a bit of a stand off as to which side of the table would shift over one seat (my studio, my team, we 3-0’d round one, YOU move), was Nick.
I remember making a serious error when I was pretty behind in game one. Nick played Retraction Helix on one of his dudes and I could’ve Sudden Storm’d it. Oops. My Artibor of Whatever got bounced and I was F’d. It didn’t look like I would’ve won anyway, but you never know.
Game two I mulled to five and was still able to get Nick to two life. He swung all in but he and his team miscalculated the amount of damage they’d do and I was left at one. Nick was dead on my crack back.
Winning on a mull to five is always awesome.
Forker played Nick the round before and told me all of Nick’s instant speed tricks. I wrote both down on the plate.
Game three I remember Nick mulliganing to maybe six and keeping a shitty hand. He played some creature I didn’t really care about and kept playing lands. I’m hitting him for more with my dudes each turn so I don’t even block or worry about blocking. A Returned Centaur ends up in my hand and I cast it. “Forker, who should I mill?” I asked, keeping in mind I have Whip so getting dudes back from my yard was a potential thing. “Mill him! I’ve got a feeling he’s got some action on top!” he shouted at me. I mean, he had to have action on top. He’d only played a shitty creature and dropped lands. This is what Nick milled:
The Oathsworn was already in his yard. Returned Centaur strikes again!
Nick scooped them up shortly after the milling. My second win gave the team five wins which is what one needs to take the match. Scryducks win!!
I didn’t get a chance to play Richard but did take this lovely photo of him.
The Ducks then set out to divide up the spoils. Kadar didn’t drop a game and chose to pick third, I think. I’m not sure. Maybe he went first and took the Chained to the Rocks. The only card I wanted was the shitty version of Dark Confidant and I got it.
And now, The Decision:
I’m playing Bogle at Grand Prix Richmond, but you already know this ‘cuz this article is written before I left for the GP. Oh well. (Spoiler alert: I went 5-3.)
Love to all,
Matt Jones
MTGO: The_Obliterator
Twitter: Die_Obliterator
Twitch: twitch.tv/mattjonesrules
Matt Jones is a sometimes PWP grinder, all the time spell slinger, and one passionate dude. He started playing at the end of Revised and quit at Exodus. Upon sobriety and running out of self-help groups to join, Jones picked Magic back up at New Phyrexia, found his favorite non-Necropotence card, Phyrexian Obliterator, and earned himself a nickname. He loves Constructed and tolerates Limited.
PS – The paintings in the background of the photographs are the end result of an investigation made by an as yet unknown Astro-Archeologist into the abstract nature of Manet, the 19th Century painter, a pivotal figure as painting transitioned from Realism to Impressionism. The Astro-Archeologist paints these works as a way to relax and distract himself from the daily rigors of astro-archeology. The outline for these characters within my art practice is mentioned here.